Tom and Isabel
by rrabbit
Summary: She was stuck in a coffin for more the sixty years because of him. The trio sets her free and Voldemort comes to claim her. After all No one rejects Tom Riddle. No one says no to Lord Voldemort...
1. Chapter 1

A small orchestra is set up on the stage playing an array of beautiful musical scores as the students enter the Great Hall. It's richly decorated tonight, with lighted pumpkins floating by the ceiling and colorful hues playing off the marble floor. People laugh loudly and spin each other around the marvelous dance floor with ease and a carefree attitude that's only achieved in youth. Across the two pillars, by the main doors, hangs a banner that says '_Hogwarts Halloween Ball 1943_.'

Tom Riddle stands against a far wall surrounded by his usual gang of followers. None of them are dressed up. They all wear black and he ignores their very presence with a practiced air of superiority. They aren't his friends. They could be called his trusted servants, if you will. His arms are crossed over his lean body and his handsome face is impassive, cold stone, but something flickers in his dark blue eyes as he watches one couple on the dance floor.

She's wearing a beautiful white, cap-sleeved dress that twirls around her body as her handsome date spins her across the floor. Gauzy, sparkling material make up her fairy wings and a delicate silver mask sits along her small, pale nose. Dark blue eyes narrow as her date runs his fingers through her red hair that cascades down her back in loose curls. She smiles and Tom Riddle scowls.

"Now is the time for our Head Boy and Head Girl to lead us in a dance." Says headmaster Dippet from behind the podium located on the stage. Professor Dumledore is beside him, smiling down at the young couples with a twinkle in his eye.

Tom pushes himself off the wall and makes his way over to the girl dressed in white. "Isabel." He greets her and takes her hand, leading her into the middle of the crowd to begin the dance.

Anyone who was watching closely might notice the small hint of fear in her eyes. The dance is slow and Tom brings her close, gripping her much too tightly.

"I see you came with that idiot Hufflepuff." He sneers in her ear so no one else can hear it.

"Yes, I did." She answers.

It is strange watching them. They look like total opposites. He's dressed totally in black with his silky dark hair combed perfectly in place. She's dressed in white, hair wild and looking totally innocent. They dance beautifully together. They look beautiful together, even with their differences.

"I told you not to." He hisses.

"You can't tell me what to do, Tom."

He smirks evilly at her and she shivers. "I think you will find that I can." He brings his head down so that it's close to her ear. "You shouldn't have disobeyed me."

Her face is flushed and if he wasn't holding on so tight to her, you would be able to tell she's shaking. "I love him." she whispers and drops her head like she just sent herself to the gallows.

Tom pulls back and studies her face with a calm fury in his eyes. "We'll see about that."

The memory becomes smoky and the images start to swirl.

Finally the Great Hall comes into focus again. Only this time all of the lively people are gone. Two bodies lie in the center of the large room surrounded by streamers and confetti. One is the handsome Hufflepuff boy. He has his wand gripped in his hand and a look of shock on his dead face. The other is the red headed girl named Isabel. Her wings are torn but her face looks calm, like she's sleeping. Around her neck is a thick silver locket with an intricate S carved into it. Professor Dumbledore finds them this way. Their funerals are held the next day.

X

Harry and Hermione are pulled out of the pensive and are back in Ron's bed room at the Burrow. Said owner of the room is sitting on the bed watching them anxiously.

"Well?" questions Ron impatiently, "What was it? What did Dumbledore want us to see?"

"That was sad." Mumbles Hermione to herself as they walk towards Ron.

"I don't know." Says Harry as he takes a seat beside his friend. "It was weird. Some kind of Halloween ball at Hogwarts…. Voldemort was there, only he was younger. He obviously killed those two people but I don't know how that's supposed to help us."

"Honestly Harry," snaps Hermione as she wipes her moist eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Isn't it obvious?"

Harry gives her a look that means it must not be. She sighs loudly and looks to the pensive again. "She wasn't wearing a locket at the ball but when she was found she was wearing one. I think it was Slytherin's locket."

"Does that mean what I think it does then?" Asks Harry solemnly.

Hermione nods her head sadly. "It must be buried with her. We have to find out who she is."

"Why'd he kill her and who is she?" asks a very confused Ron.

Harry takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes. "It must have been his girlfriend or something…. Her name was Isabel."

"She looked a lot like Ginny. Didn't you think so, Harry?" says Hermione.

"I guess. What's that got to do with anything?"

Hermione turns her attention to Ron. "Maybe we should ask your Mom if she knows who she is."

"Why?" he asks her, with his face puzzled.

"You might be related."

X

"Why are you three asking such questions?" snaps Mrs. Weasley as she stirs a pot on the stove.

"Come on, Mom. Just answer." Whines Ron. "Do you know of anyone named Isabel that was head girl during..."

"1943." Finishes Hermione.

"Fine." Mrs. Weasley lets out a long sigh and takes a seat opposite the three teenagers. " I think I know who you're talking about but I don't understand why you would want to know. She died a very long time ago."

"Mom…"

"Isabel Prewett. She was my Grandfather's sister. I don't know how you found out about her…She was murdered by her boyfriend when she was still at Hogwarts."

Hermione jumps in. "At the Halloween Ball?"

Mrs. Weasley eyes her wearily. "Yes, Hogwarts never held it again after that. I guess it was pretty terrible. She was only seventeen. He killed her and then turned his wand on himself. I don't think my Grandfather ever really got over the shock of losing his little sister like that." She says more to herself then to the people at the table.

"Thank you for telling us, Mrs. Weasley." Says Harry, making her jump out of her daze.

"Yes, well, why do you want to know again?"

"We were just doing some research on your family history." Lies Hermione with a fake smile. Judging by the scowl on Mrs. Weasley's face it's safe to say she doesn't believe her. "Do you know where she's buried so we can… pay our respects?"

Mrs. Weasley lifts an eyebrow at her and stands up facing the stove again. "She's in the Prewett family plot near London."

X

"This is weird." Says Ron as the three friends make their way through the over grown cemetery that's obviously been neglected for some time. He trips over a tombstone and swears loudly. "She's like my great, great Aunt or something. I don't think we should be digging her up."

"If there was another way, believe me, we would take it." Says Harry as he holds out his lighted wand a little further in front of him in the dark. It's a half moon out tonight and the pale light is causing menacing shadows to play around them.

"I think I found it!" yells Hermione from a few yards away.

The boys join her and they all look down at the tombstone. Moss is growing on the edges and it has been weathered by time. The relatively simple stone reads '_Isabel Marie Prewett—1926-1943.'_

"Are we really doing this?" Asks Harry as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"As disgusting as it's going to be. I'm afraid we have no choice." Hermione says.

They all step back and watch the ground as Hermione whispers a spell that removes the dirt in front of the head stone. Piles are dug out until a shinny coffin is visible. Chills run down Harry's spine as she says a levitation spell. The coffin lifts up out of the ground and rests beside her. Hermione visibly pales and Ron gulps loudly.

"It's been like sixty years… so shouldn't she be like a skeleton or something?" asks Ron nervously.

"I-I don't know." Stutters Hermione. The realization of what they're doing finally sinking in on them. "Why don't you open it?"

"What?" shouts Ron unbelievably. He starts backing away with his hands in the air. "Nope, that's one of my relatives. I'm not doing it."

They both turn their heads to Harry expectantly. He sighs and walks to the casket, bringing his shaking hands down to the lid. In one heavy push the lid flies open and what's inside makes all three of them gasp.

Isabel Prewett is lying among the faded silk lining of the casket, perfectly preserved. Her rich colored hair is done is tight ringlets that fall past her shoulders and kept out of her face by two black burettes. She looks as though she is merely taking a nap. There's a faint blush to her cheeks and her lips are slightly parted and colored a soft pink.

It looks like she will wake up and stretch any second. She's wearing a plain black dress that goes to her knees. It's covered in outdated lace. The sleeves stop at her elbows, black tights encase her legs, and shiny black shoes are on her feet. In her delicate hands, placed on top of her stomach, is her wand.

"Umm, is she supposed to look like that?" asks Harry as he turns to Hermione.

"Like what?" Hermione asks while staring at the girl in the coffin.

He answers as he turns to stare at the girl. "Like she's still alive?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't think Wizards did embalming charms or anything…." She brings her hand up to her mouth and starts biting her nails, a nervous gesture. "Maybe you should just grab the necklace."

Harry hesitates for a moment before he reaches down for the necklace. The moment he touches it his hand jumps back and he falls to the ground.

"What? What's wrong?" questions Ron with a panicked voice. He's still standing a good few feet away from them.

"H-her eyes just fluttered." Hermione looks at him like he's crazy. He gets to his feet to face her. "I swear to God they did."

She frowns and takes out her wand as kneels down beside the coffin and places the wand on the girl's neck, where her pulse would be. She mutters a spell and a soft yellow glow emits from the end of her wand causing her to jump back, almost landing in the open grave.

"What's that? What does that mean?" yells Harry.

Hermione closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths before she faces the boys. "She's still alive."

"How is that possible?!" yells Ron.

"I-If she was given the draught of eternal sleep then they would think she was dead. The spell I just did didn't come out until 1956…. More then ten years after, after this happened."

Harry walks closer to the casket and looks at the girl. "So… she's just been asleep all these years? Why hasn't she aged?"

"It's very dark magic… it causes time to stop and the person who drinks the potion stays the way they were when it was consumed."

"So Voldemort didn't kill her…" Harry says. "Can she be revived? Or will she be like this forever?"

"No," Hermione says. "She can be woken up."

X

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" whines Ron as they arrive at the front of the Burrow's door with Isabel floating behind him. "I don't see how we can explain this to my parents. Oi, look mom we brought a dead girl home. You don't mind if she stays with us do you? After all she is family…"

"She's still alive, Ronald. We couldn't just put her back in the casket and bury her again. Besides, the necklace wouldn't come off of her so we may need her awake." Snaps Hermione as she opens the front door.

"Oh, there you are! I was getting so worr…" Mrs. Weasley stops dead in her tracks when she sees what they brought in with them. "Who is that and why is she unconscious?"

The three of them stop and shuffle their feet uncomfortably. Finally Harry is brave enough to step up. "Mrs. Weasley… This is Isabel Prewett."

"What!?" screeches Molly.

"She's still alive!" cries Hermione. "She's been given the draught of eternal sleep…"

"Why were you digging in someone's grave!" she shouts. Her face is starting to turn red and sweat is coming off of her forehead. "Arthur!!"

Footsteps can be heard as Mr. Weasley stomps in from the living room and comes up behind his wife. "What is it, dear?" he questions and eyes the girl in front of him questionably.

"Your son and his friends are grave robbers!"

"Mom! We didn't steal anything!"

"You stole a body, Ronald Weasley! That is worse. It's morbid!"

"She's still alive." Says Hermione again. Saying it slowly, trying to stress her point. She takes out her wand and moves Isabel's body so that she's lying on the kitchen table.

Mr. Weasley steps out from around his wife and up to the girl. He takes out his wand and does the same spell Hermione did earlier causing his wand to glow a light yellow.

"They're right." He says. "She is alive… can someone tell me who she is?"

The trio recounts the story, starting from the memory in the pensive and her relationship to Molly and the Weasley's. They need the locket she's wearing to defeat Voldemort, but that's as much as they're willing to tell him. The whole while Mr. Weasley nods his head and glances at the girl on the table sadly.

"Well, I think we should call a few Order members." He says after a moment of silence. "I think it's time she was woken up."

X

Severus Snape storms into the Weasley's kitchen with an annoyed look on his face. He doesn't like being called upon in the middle of the night unless it is exceptionally important so they better have a damn good reason as to why he's here right now. They told him to bring the antidote for the draught of eternal sleep. Which one of those idiots accidentally drank that? Probably those hellish twins of theirs, they are always doing stupid things.

His eyes take in the occupants of the room. Minerva McGonagall is standing with her back straight gazing down at something on the table. Every single one of the disgusting Weasley heard are hovering around and of course Granger and Potter are with them. Snape sneers at Remus Lupin as he pushes his way past him to see what everyone is looking at.

On the table lies a young girl, about seventeen, with long, red hair and delicate freckles on her light skin. She's wearing old fashioned clothes it looks like. She must be a Weasley he thinks to himself as he approaches Mr. Weasley.

"Well?" he snaps.

"Ah, Severus." Says the red haired man. "Did you bring what I asked you to?"

Snape digs in his robes and takes out a vile of glowing purple liquid. He hands it unceremoniously into Arthur's hands and watches as he walks over to the girl and tips her mouth open.

"Who is she?" he questions as the potion goes down her throat.

"Molly's great Aunt." He answers. Well, that is puzzling.

McGonagall takes out her wand and points it at the girl saying the reviving spell. The girl starts coughing and her eyes snap open. She sits up quickly and looks around the room in complete horror.

X

"Where am I?" Isabel questions as she looks around the room. A lot of them have red hair. There's a woman with glasses that looks familiar…

"You're at our home, dear." Says a plump redheaded woman as she puts her hand on her shoulder.

Isabel pulls away and jumps off the table, backing away from all of them who are looking at her like she's a circus freak. She brings her hands to her chest in a nervous gesture but snaps her eyes down at them. It's then that she notices what she's wearing. She doesn't remember putting this on. The last thing she remembers is the Halloween dance. How did she end up here?

"Why am I wearing this!?" she shouts.

"It's ok, Isabel… just calm down." Says the familiar woman with glasses.

"W-who are you?" she asks.

The woman smiles fondly at her. "I'm Minerva McGonagall. Do you remember me?"

Isabel's jaw drops as she stares at the old woman. Minerva Mcgonagall was only a year a head of her in school. They were in the same house, Gryffindor. How is this possible?

"But… but you're so old…" she says and Minerva gives a light chuckle.

"Yes, well technically you're only a year younger then me." She says.

"And how old is that?" Isabel questions with a feeling of doom swimming in her stomach.

"I'm eighty two. That means you're around eighty years old."

Her stomach drops and she starts crying. "How is this possible!? Where am I!? I want to go home. Where are my parents!?"

The plump woman with red hair embraces her and she breaks down in her arms. "Shh… it's alright."

"Why is this happening?" she falls to the floor out of the woman's embrace and brings her hand up to her eyes like it could shield her from what's going on.

"Do you know Tom Riddle?"

Her head snaps up to a boy with messy black hair and glasses. "Yes, I do… why?"

"We think he did this to you."

She stops crying, she stops making noise. "H-he did!" she stutters. "I remember we were at the dance and he was mad at me. He told me if I didn't drink this potion he had he would kill Samuel." She stands up with determination in her face. "Where's Samuel?"

There's an uncomfortable silence. "He's dead, dear…. That Tom Riddle fellow killed him."

A new batch of tears fall from her eyes. "Are my parents dead?" she whispers and the woman nods her head. "What about my brother?"

"He's dead too." She says with total sympathy in her voice.

"Why didn't anyone try to help me!?" she shouts to no one in particular. A girl with bushy hair steps up and gives her an uneasy expression.

"They thought you were dead. You've been buried in a cemetery for over sixty years."

Isabel closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "My family thought I was dead…now everyone I love is dead… my whole family is dead."

"Your families not dead." Says a man with thinning red hair and glasses. "This is Molly." He places his hands on the shoulders of the plump woman in front of her. "She's your great grandniece…and I'm her husband Arthur."

He proceeds going through and introducing the rest of the red haired occupants of the room. Finally resting his hands on a young, teenage girl who looks uneasy. "And this is my youngest. Her name is Ginny."

She takes a second to study her. They do resemble each other. They both have long red hair, pale freckled skin, and little upturned noses. Only Isabel isn't as muscular as the other girl. She came from a time when women didn't play sports. When women were supposed to be soft. Her light blue eyes stare into Ginny's brown and she suddenly wants to panic.

"I think I want to lie down for a while." Isabel states as she faints to the ground.

X

In a dark secluded castle somewhere hidden in the twisted hills of England is a very tired and aggravated Dark Lord. He is sitting on his silver throne listening to his followers as they recount the battle that was fought the night before. He wasn't there but from what he has gathered they were able to take Diagon Alley. The Death Eaters speeches are long and unnecessary, he thinks. It's boring but it must be done.

"Yes, it was a good victory on our part." Says Lucius Malfoy as he bows deeply. "Soon the Ministry will be ours, My Lord."

Lord Voldemort nods his snake-like head in agreement. Suddenly a queer feeling over takes him and he has to close his eyes to regain his composure. Potter and his foolish friends have been hunting his Horcruxes for some time now. They have managed to destroy three of them so far, much to his annoyance. They are parts of his soul after all. Whenever one is tampered with or disturbed a feeling shoots through his body to alert him. He opens his scarlet eyes to glare at the people around him.

He cuts whoever was talking off. "Go to the Prewett family cemetery in wizarding London. Dig up the grave of Isabel Prewett and bring her body here." His minions don't move. "Now!" he barks.

They all Apparate away as the Dark Lord rises from his throne to pace back and forth on the marble floor. He didn't want to wake her until he had full control, until he was the most powerful wizard in the world and everyone bowed at his feet. He would make her rule beside him. He would make her love and obey him. She would never reject him again. _'I guess I'll just have to wake her up early'_ he thinks to himself with a scowl on his face. One nervous looking Death Eater pops into the room. He falls to his knees in front of him.

"Well?" snaps The Dark Lord.

"Forgive me, Master, but her body's not there."

"What!?" anger overtakes him as he looks down at his sniveling servant.

"It seems someone has already dug her up." He says.

His eyes narrow into small slits. Potter, the bane of his existence has taken his most prized possession away. He will pay dearly.

"Simon." He says lightly to the groveling man on the floor. He lifts his head up and waits for his Master to continue.

"I think it's time we took down the Weasley clan."

X

"How are you feeling?" asks a girl with bushy brown hair.

Isabel rubs the sleep from her eyes. Her surroundings come into focus and she notices that she's in a small bedroom with Ginny and another girl hovering over her. It takes her a moment for it to sink in before she bites her lip.

"I'm fine." She says as she sits up and pulls the quilt further up her body.

"My name's Hermione." Says the girl as she takes a seat beside her, making the mattress sink down. "You've been out for a few hours. This is Ginny's room if you were wondering…"

She looks up to the other redheaded girl who is looking at her with an uneasy expression on her face as she stands at the base of the bed. The room is small and painted a light purple. Posters of modern Quidditch stars fly around on the posters on the wall and stuffed animals line the shelves in different states of disarray. Isabel studies the girls in front of her. They seem close to her age… in body, technically she's seventy years older then them.

"Do you know why he did this to you?" asks Hermione while looking down at the floor.

Isabel shakes her head. "Not really."

"Was Voldemort your boyfriend?" asks Ginny from the end of the bed. Her face has turned into concern as she bites her lower lip when they both turn to her.

"Voldemort?" she questions.

Hermione shoots Ginny a look. "Yeah, that's the name he goes by now." She explains.

She starts laughing a humorless laugh. "You actually call him that stupid name? I thought he was joking when he said he wanted to go by that…" she notices that the girls are still looking at her expectantly, "Oh, no, he wasn't my boyfriend."

"Then why did he do this to you?" asks Hermione.

"This is very strange for me." Says Isabel as she slumps against the pillows. "It feels like all of this happened yesterday but it's been years." She looks to the girls again. "I'm not sure why he did this… when I was in my sixth year we dated for a little while. Tom is handsome, intelligent, and really charming so I thought it was a good idea until he totally changed. He became really suspicious and possessive of me. He had his stupid friends follow me around when I wasn't with him and he would get jealous if I talked to other boys. I was like an object to him so I broke it off."

Ginny sits down on the bed totally absorbed in the story and Hermione leans forward a little bit.

"He became really volatile towards me after that and I tried my best to avoid him. Luckily we were in separate houses, so it made it a little easier. In seventh year I was made head girl and he was head boy so I had to see him more often." She sits up and looks out the window. Almost too exhausted to talk but knowing that she has to." I started seeing another boy, Samuel Higgins. Tom was furious and kept on harassing me about it. I didn't think he would actually do anything terrible until the Halloween Ball."

"What happened?" asks Ginny.

She takes a deep breath. "He had told me not to go with Sam, but I did anyways… I fell in love with him and I wasn't about to let Tom get in our way. Everything is kind of a blur after that… I remember being stuck in a secluded class room with him after the dance. I don't know how I ended up there. Tom was rambling about how he gets what he wants when he wants it and that I shouldn't have rejected him. He told me he had big plans for when he graduates and that I would do well to listen to him. He pulled out a vial from his pocket and told me to drink it or he would kill Samuel… The look on his face… I knew he wasn't lying so I drank it, that's all I remember."

Everyone is silent for a while. Hermione clears his throat. "Did he give you that necklace?"

Isabel looks confused. "What necklace?"

Hermione points to the one around her neck. She looks surprised as she brings her hand up and fingers the silver locket. She tries to take it off but nothing she tries works.

"Why won't it come off?" she asks panicky as she stands from the bed.

"Just calm down, it's ok… we'll find a way." Says Hermione.

Isabel looks at her with a troubled expression. She doesn't know if she believes her.

X

Isabel has been staying with the Weasley's for a week. Their family is large and loving. They've really been good at helping her to adjust to the new world she as thrust into. It's not easy constantly feeling out of place. They also told her all about Lord Voldemort, or Tom as she calls him, and his rise to power during the first war. How he almost died because of the baby Harry Potter, and how he came back to power again. She was disgusted at his new snake like appearance they described.

She almost wanted to cry to hear about the terrible things he did to muggle-borns and their supporters. It was atrocious and she found herself being oddly depressed that she wasn't able to do anything about it. Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Isabel are sitting at the kitchen table talking about non important matters while Mrs. Weasley fixes them lunch.

"Molly?" questions Isabel. "Whatever happened to my home? Prewett Manor?"

Molly stops what she's doing and turns to the young girl. "Well, during the first war you-know-who destroyed it." She says tightly and turns back around.

Isabel slumps her shoulders and takes a drink from her glass. "I hate him." she whispers.

"We all do." Says Harry as he gives her a sympathetic smile. She smiles back.

"Do you want to go flying today?" asks Ginny from across the table.

"I don't know how to fly." She states honestly and Ginny gives her a scandalized look.

"What?" she asks. "Girls aren't allowed to play Quidditch."

Hermione laughs at her side. "A lot of things have changed since your time." She says, giving her a pat on the back. "But don't worry. I'm a terrible flier too."

They all walk to the back garden as the boys open the broom shed and take out five decrepit looking brooms. Isabel eyes them with contempt as Ron hands a particularly dirty one to her. She watches as the others get on and start flying around.

"You know, I think I'll just watch." She says as she sits on the ground. She's wearing a pair of Ginny's blue jeans. That is enough change for her for today. Girls weren't supposed to wear pants either. This time is oddly liberating she muses to herself as she picks a blade of grass.

"Ah, come on." Shouts Harry over his shoulder. "It won't kill you."

Isabel eyes the broom again. She seriously doubts that it won't. "No, I think I'm going to take a walk." She says as she stands up and dusts off her pants.

She walks in solitude around the garden and then stops when she sees a dock extend out to a small lake. The summer time sun is hot today so she walks the wooden planks to the very end and takes a seat. She takes off her shoes and rolls up the jeans to her knees, slowly lowering each foot into the water.

"Do you mind if I join you?" The voice is female and she turns around to see Ginny standing behind her.

"Not at all." She says and watches out of the corner of her eye as the girl takes a seat and puts her feet in the water.

"How are you feeling?" she asks.

"I'm fine…. Can I ask you a question?"

Ginny nods her head. She's been a good friend this past week.

"Do you think he'll try to find me?" she asks softly referring to Tom.

"Yes." Her answer is blunt and it makes Isabel turn her head to stare at her. "Tom doesn't like people playing with his things."

She furrows her eyes brows. "Do you know him?" Isabel asks carefully.

Ginny nods her head. "Better then most." She answers.

"What did he do to you?"

Ginny tells her the story about the Diary and the Chamber of Secrets that happened in her first year. "You know," she says when she was finished. "I always wondered why he chose me. I mean, he could have made me pass him off to someone else someone more powerful…" she snaps her head back to Isabel. "I guess I know why now… it was all because of you."

Isabel's heart starts beating faster and an overwhelming sense of guilt washes over her. She looks back over the lake and focuses on the reflecting lights off the water. "I'm sorry." She says quietly.

Ginny grabs her hand. "Don't be. It's not your fault… It's Toms."

It always is. They sit in silence for a few moments before blood curdling screams make them jump up. It's coming from the Burrow.


	2. Chapter 2

"Who are those people?" Isabel asks as her and Ginny run the path back to the house.

A battle is going on in front of them and members of the Weasley family are battling with black robed figures wearing plain, white masks.

"They're Death Eaters." Ginny answers a she takes out her wand. Isabel copies her movement and removes her wand from her back pocket. "Do you remember Harry saying that that's what his followers call themselves?"

She nods her head in reply. The two redheads run into the battle and start shooting spells at the hooded Death Eaters. A tall, burly Death Eater approaches Isabel for a duel. She wasn't head girl in her time for nothing. She raises her wand and starts throwing curses and hexes at him. She's so caught up in the fight that she doesn't notice their leader Apparate into the garden.

The Death Eater sends a particularly nasty curse her way and she doesn't react quickly enough. She's thrown back into a tree and her wand goes flying out of her hand. Blood trickles out of her mouth as the Death Eater approaches her. His wand is pointed at her chest as she looks around helplessly. There's an evil glint in the dark eyes behind the mask.

"Cruc…"

"Lestrange." A high-pitched hissing voice cuts him off. "I suggest that you not do that."

The man lowers his wand and turns around, bowing low at the cloaked figure in front of them. Isabel takes this chance to stand up. Her eyes meet the scarlet ones from under the stranger's hood and her heart skips a beat. His face is obscured but she can make out chalky white skin, slits where a nose should be, and a lipless mouth that's starting to turn into a smirk. He makes his way over to her and she's frozen to the spot. She wants to run but her body won't let her move.

"My, my, Isabel… It's been ages." He says as he brings one of his bony hands up to her face.

She withdrawals from his touch like he was the plague and stumbles back until she hits the tree. She remembers all of the things they had said about Tom's new appearance but she never knew how frightening he would actually look in person. He used to be so handsome.

"T-Tom?" She manages to stutter out while looking at him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

A twisted smile comes to his disfigured face. "You remember." He hisses. His voice use to be deep and seductive now it's high and could be considered annoying if it wasn't so scary.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asks as her eyes flick down to the ebony wand in his hand.

"No, I have much bigger plans for you." He holds out a hand to her. "Come."

She eyes it wearily and then glances around the garden at all of the others. The Weasley's have been so kind to her and they've really made her feel at home in this strange time. They are her family after all. She can't just leave them at the mercy of Tom's army. She straightens up and gathers all of her Gryffindor courage to look him in his scarlet eyes.

"I'll go with you if you leave them alone."

He raises an eyebrow at her demand, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Why Isabel, you hardly know them… they are the worst kind of blood traitors."

"They are my family." She states.

Something close to anger flashes in his eyes and then is replaced by cool detachment. "No one tells me what to do." He growls. "Now take my goddamn hand."

She shakes her head no and makes a surprised noise when he grabs her. He pulls her back against his chest and places his arms around her body in an iron grip so she can't move. His chest feels cold against her body and he turns them so they both face the fight that's going on.

"I'll let you keep three." He hisses in her ear. "You choose the ones you want to live."

"I can't do that." She whispers as tears start to form in her eyes. It was an unfair thing for him to tell her.

"Then they all die." He says and starts to back away.

She turns around and grabs his bony hand. His face shoots to hers in surprise. "Wait," she says. "Please, don't do this."

He eyes her for a few moments. "Then I'll choose for you."

He turns back to the fight. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are no where to be seen. They must have gotten away before things got too serious. The rest of the Weasley's are fighting a losing battle. There are way too many Death Eaters here. Tom raises his wand and throws multiple killing curses. Only Mrs. Weasley, George, and Ginny are left standing.

"Take them to the dungeons." Tom orders. The Death Eaters grab the ones that are alive and they are too shocked to fight it. Having witnessed the murder of most of their family members it's understandable.

Tom turns to Isabel. Her skin has gone deathly pale and she's staring at him with shocked eyes. She then turns around and throws up in one of the bushes.

X

"You called for me, Master?" Snape bows low to the ground making sure not to make eye contact with his Lord.

"Why did you not tell me they had her, Severus?" he hisses as he plays with his wand, twirling it between his long fingers.

Snape takes a big gulp. "I did not know she was of importance to you, My Lord. Forgive me."

"Perhaps I will." He says, his voice sounding thoughtful. "Then, perhaps I won't."

A shiver goes up Snape's spine and the Dark Lord laughs. "I need your help, Severus, and if you do well you won't be punished for with holding information from me."

"What is it you wish me to do?"

"I want my old body back." Snape's eyes snap up. "Soon we'll rule all of the Wizarding world and it will be easier to gather followers if I look like a man, not a monster."

"I agree, My Lord." He puts his eyes back to the floor.

"Yes, I think I would be able to play the better politician with a handsome face and a sympathetic family, don't you think?"

"Yes, My Lord." There's is a long pause and the Dark Lord looks at Snape expectantly. "I think I may be able to help. Do you any personal possessions of yours from the time in which you want to look again?"

"Here." He throws something on the ground. Severus holds it up and studies it in his skinny hands. It's a diary with a huge hole in the center. "That should do it." He hisses. "I expect this to be done as soon as possible. Do not disappoint me."

"I won't, My Lord." Spape promises as he bows low to the ground and then exits the room.

The Dark Lord falls back into his chair with a content smile on his wicked face.

X

She has been stuck in this room for a week. She must have passed out at the Burrow because when she woke up she was in a richly decorated room, on a giant four post bed. A house elf brings her meals three times a day and refuses to talk to her. No matter how many time Isabel tries to provoke conversation.

She's getting bored. There's nothing in this room but a bed, a closet full of clothes, and a vanity with a mirror. Thankfully there is a bathroom through the only door that isn't locked but there's only so many times you can shower and change clothes during the day.

She hasn't seen Tom at all since she's been in here and she's thankful for that, but now she's starved for attention. A small house-elf pops into the room and sits her lunch tray down on a small table by the blocked up window.

"Excuse me." She says to the small little creature who stops what she's doing and turns to her.

"Yes, Miss." She squeaks uncomfortably, it's large eyes darting around the room like it was waiting for something to jump out.

"Is…" she closes her eyes and admits defeat. "Is your master here?"

"Yes, he is, Miss."

"Could you tell him I would like to see him?"

The small elf widens her eyes and she looks afraid. "I-If yous want me to, Miss," she stutters and pops out of the room.

'_I hope she doesn't get in trouble'_ Isabel thinks to herself as she eats the lunch that was placed out for her. Boredom eats away at her as she stares at the decorations in the room for the millionth time since she's been here. She fancies she has memorized every pattern on the wall and could recite the number of tiles in the bathroom be heart. She spends most of the day braiding the tassels on the pillows.

Nighttime comes and still no sign of Tom so she takes a shower and gets ready for bed. Her Pajamas are silk little nighties of all different colors. They're very suggestive, nothing she would ever wear. She suspects that Tom picked them out, along with all of the lacy underwear and beautiful dresses. Her new clothes remind her of things that men think women wear all the time, not things they actually do.

She picks out a dark purple night slip and tucks herself under the covers. Trying not to be too disappointed that he didn't come… and part of her is almost relieved that he didn't. She's almost asleep when she hears the door creak open. She sits up immediately and pulls the covers over her chest to cover her modesty. She gasps out loud when she sees who opened the door. Tom is standing there, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. He's no longer the snake looking monster he was before, but the young handsome man that she remembers.

A smirk appears on his face. "You wanted to see me?"

"How did you…" She trails off because she doesn't really know how finish that sentence.

His smirk becomes wider as he pushes off the door and walks into the room, closing the door behind him. "Do you not like my new look? I could always change it back if you'd prefer."

"No, no you look fine." She says and blushes under his intense gaze.

There is a long silence as he stands at the end of the bed with his hands in his pockets, staring down at her. "Well?"

"Well what?" she asks. She's totally confused right now.

"You asked to see me, remember?" there is humor clear in his voice. He's enjoying her confusion.

"Oh, well…" She looks down at the top of the covers with a deep blush on her cheeks, she feels foolish now. "I was just getting bored, that's all."

"And you don't think I have more important things to do then worry about you being bored?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

Anger shoots through her. "You're the one who locked me in this room! What did you expect?"

"You will not speak to me with such a tone." He snaps. All humor is gone from his face and his voice is harsh. "I won't tolerate it."

"You are not the boss of me, Tom!" she yells as she stands up from the bed. All fear is gone from her and she can only see the injustice of his actions.

Red flashes in his eyes as he stalks towards her and grabs her wrist painfully, yanking her off the bed and to her feet. "You will _not_ call me Tom." He hisses close to her face and she shivers because of it. "I am your Lord and Master. You will address me as such."

"You are no Master of mine, _Tom."_ She snaps back. Wanting to upset him for what he's done to her.

He smacks her hard across the face making her fall to the ground. "You will learn your place." He says calmly as he walks to the window and sits down in a chair facing her. "Stand up." He orders. She had almost let herself forget how violent he could be.

She gets up reluctantly and places a hand over her burning cheek. Tears she didn't want to shed in front of him are falling down her cheeks.

"Come here." He orders and she does to save her self from further embarrassment, knowing her tears will do nothing but make him even more hateful. "You are here with me now and you will do as I tell you. I'll never let you leave no matter how many times you beg." he eyes her body, slowly raking his eyes from her head to her feet. She wishes now that she never asked him to come in here. "You will learn to please me." He says in a deep voice that makes her shiver. "Now, take off your clothes."

Her eyes snap to his in surprise. That was one thing he never asked for, one thing she thought he wouldn't make her do. She hesitates, "But…" He gives her a dangerous look with red tinted eyes and she takes a deep breath before she bunches the silk fabric up and pulls it over her head. The sting from her cheek is a reminder of what would happen if she didn't and she realizes the danger of her situation. She's here alone with him, with no wand, and no one who cares about her. He has total control.

"All of your clothes." He says referring to the little knickers she has on.

"Please, don't make me." She whispers with trembling lips, almost not believing this is really happening.

"Now." His voice leaves no room for argument.

She still doesn't open her eyes as she hooks her fingers in the waist band of the dark fabric and pulls them down her legs. She stands up straight and she can feel her whole body blushing. No one has ever seen her like this. She opens her eyes and sees that Tom is looking at her body hungrily in a way that scares her. It makes her want to cover herself. She brings her arms up and crosses them over her exposed chest.

Tom jumps out of his chair and grabs her, forcing her arms down to her side. "You will never hide your body from me. Do you understand?" He says as his eyes linger on her breast. She nervously nods her head, afraid by his outburst… knowing from experience where that will lead. He watches her for a few moments before he brings his head down to her neck and bites her there, breaking skin and making her whimper as he sucks her skin. He kisses his way down her jaw. "Besides, it's just as much mine now as it is yours."

She closes her eyes tight as he starts touching her in places that no one else ever had. She feels his breath on her face as she pretends she's somewhere else, anywhere else but here as his cold fingers kneed her breasts and slide between her legs. Suddenly he kisses her and she gasps into his mouth in surprise. The kiss is light at first and then it becomes more demanding and rough. It's almost painful as he snakes his arms around her back and crushes her into his chest. She opens her mouth for him when he bites her lower lip, nervously letting his tongue slide along hers. She feels like she's drowning until finally he pulls back.

"Look at me." He demands. She reluctantly opens her eyes. "Has anyone ever seen you like this?" he asks as his eyes look down her body again.

She shakes her head no. He should know that… he made sure of that.

"Has any one ever touched you like this?" he asks as he runs fingers along her private area making her suck in a breath.

"No." she says.

He smiles a broken smile are her. "Good… and no one ever will but me. Do you understand?" She nods hear head with out making a sound. He grabs her hair. "I asked you if you understood, so answer me."

"Yes, I understand." She cries and then lets out a relieved sigh when he lets go and sits back down.

"I won't take you tonight," He says and she feels a sense of relief at that. "but you want to please me, don't you?"

She puts her hands together to keep them from shaking. "Y-Yes." She stutters out having no idea what he wants her to do.

"Come closer and get down on your knees." She does what she's told and fearfully kneels between his legs. She watches with wide eyes as he unbuckles his pants and frees himself. She's never seen one of those either. She's only heard the bad girls of Hogwarts whisper about them in the bathrooms. He grabs her face and kisses her hard and then whispers in her ear. "You know what to do."

She sits back and shakes her head with more tears stinging her eyes. Wishing she could wake up now from this nightmare. "I don't know… I don't know what you want."

"I've forgotten how innocent you were." He smirks at her and pulls her closer to him again. "Put it in your mouth and suck it."

She does what he says. That night she brushes her teeth fifty two times until her gums bleed and cries herself to sleep.

X

"Miss, Miss, wake up." She's being pushed in the shoulder by a little hand. She bats it away and turns on her side. "Miss, wake up or Turvey will gets in trouble."

She sighs loudly before she wakes and turns to the house elf. "What do you want?" she asks. Meaner then she should have but after last night she's not in a good mood.

"You's to eat Breakfast with Master. Now hurry or you'll be late."

She groans into the pillow. He is the last person she wants to see. She reluctantly gets up and puts on one of the many dresses that are stuffed in her closet and the underwear that's in the drawers. When she's done she waits by the door so the house elf can show her to the dining hall. She hasn't been out side of the room yet.

She stops many times walking down the hallway to look at the amazing artwork and statues the line the walls. The panicking house-elf keeps pulling on her hand but that doesn't stop her. She was cooped up in that room for over a week. She wants to take her time and enjoy her freedom. When they finally reach the dining hall the house-elf keeps talking to herself about how they're five minutes late and how Master is going to be so upset. It doesn't faze Isabel. What's five minutes?

"You're late." He barks when she opens the door. He's sitting at the head of a large table reading the newspaper.

"I'm sorry." She says as she lowers her eyes and makes her way beside him. "I didn't know I had to be perfectly on time." She says honestly as she takes the seat to his right.

"Do not let it happen again." His voice is laced with a threat and she nods her head as she places her napkin on her lap. She wants to ask him so many questions about why he did this, why she's here, but she knows that will only make him angry so she remains silent.

The food arrives and he begins to eat so Isabel picks up her fork and takes some eggs off of her plate.

"I did not give you permission to eat." He says with out looking at her.

"I didn't know I needed permission." She snaps letting her emotions get away with her. What happened to him? He was a jerk at Hogwarts but he was never this mean.

His head snaps to hers and he glares. "You need my permission for every thing you do."

She bites her lip to keep her from saying a retort and puts her fork down. She takes a few calming breaths before she speaks. "May I?" she asks in a strained voice.

"May you what?"

"May I eat?"

He eyes her for a moment. "No."

"Then why did you ask me here?" she says trying not to yell.

"I don't answer to you." He snaps.

"Tom!" she yells before she can stop herself. She brings her hands up to cover her mouth.

He turns his head slowly to her and stands up. "I told you never to call me that."

"I know, I'm sorry, I forgot." She looks at him pleadingly. Again she's reminded of her situation and how she has no control what so ever.

He calls for a house-elf. "Bring Ginny Weasley here." He tells it.

"What are you doing?"

"You're going to learn to obey me somehow." He says as he takes out his wand and walks away from the table. The house-elf pops back into the room with a chained and dirty Ginny Weasley who looks disoriented and confused.

Isabel's heart stops beating for a moment or two as she watches Ginny's wide fearful eyes look up at Tom.

"My two loves in one room." He says snidely. He walks up to Ginny and pulls her hair so she's looking towards him. "She looks a lot like you, doesn't she, Isabel?" He brings his face down to Ginny's. "We use to have a lot of fun didn't we, little one?" he licks the side of her cheek and she starts crying.

"Stop it." Whispers Isabel as she stands from the table. "Please, stop it."

"Oh, but my love, I haven't done anything yet." He points his wand at Ginny's heart. "Crucio."

Ginny starts screaming and flopping around on the floor. She's in so much pain it's almost unbearable to watch. Isabel runs to them and places her hand on Tom's wand arm.

"Stop hurting her! You've made your point."

He glances at her from the corner of his scarlet eyes. "No, I don't think I have."

He says another curse and a blue jet of light shoots from his wand. Ginny starts shaking uncontrollably and blood is coming out of her ears. This is the worst thing she's ever seen and she just wants it to stop.

Isabel becomes desperate and tears are pouring down her face. "Please, stop." She cries but his smirk just widens. She closes her eyes before she says it. "Please….Master."

He lifts the curse and turns towards her. "What was that?" he asks pleasantly as if they were discussing the weather.

She gives him what he wants. She drops to her knees. "Please, stop hurting her, Master."

He smiles and calls for a house elf. "Bring her back to the dungeons." He says and then turns his attention back to the girl on her knees. He brings his hand up and runs his fingers across her jaw. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" She doesn't answer him. She looks straight at his polished shoes. "Go to your room and don't come out until I tell you to. Tonight is a very important night for you."

She gets up and runs the whole way there, humiliation and anger burning her cheeks.

X

"Who are you?" asks Isabel as three women come into her room. She clutches a pillow and eyes them fearfully as they put a large bag down on the floor.

"We're here to help you get ready for Our Lord." Says an older woman with jet black hair and hooded eyes. "Go take a bath." She demands.

Isabel stares at the older woman and doesn't move. She noticed the woman is staring at her with complete loathing and hate pooling in her eyes. So much it makes her shiver and she clutches the pillow a little tighter. She is about to say something when a blonde woman takes her hand and leads her into the bathroom.

"Come now. No time to mess around." She says as she fills the bath tub with water and scented bubbles. She takes the pillow from Isabel and sets it down on the sink. With slim fingers she starts taking Isabel's clothes off, starting with the zipper in the back of her dress.

She steps away from the woman. "Who are you and why are you doing this?" she snaps.

"My name's Narcissa." She answers, barely able to contain her annoyance at the situation. "We have to get you ready for the Dark Lord tonight."

She asks why but doesn't get an answer. After a few moments of staring Narcissa lifts her wand to do the Impero curse so Isabel reluctantly takes her clothes off and steps into the bathtub so she doesn't have to have that spell on her. She begins washing her hair as the older woman sits there and watches her every move. "Why do I need to get ready for the Dark Lord tonight?" she asks slowly, hoping to get an answer while trying to hide her body the best she can.

Narcissa looks at her like she's crazy and haughtily crosses her legs. "Do you not know?"

Isabel shakes her head and dunks her head underwater to get rid of the shampoo. "Could you tell me?" she asks when she resurfaces, making sure to sound careful.

"You're taking part in a bonding ritual tonight."

The soap that was in her hands drops to the floor and her heart stops. "What do you mean a bonding ritual?" she asks a little hysterically. With her limited experience even she knows those aren't good.

Narcissa gives her a reproachable look and sneers. "If he didn't tell you, then you probably shouldn't know. Now, stand up." She commands as she holds a towel out.

Once she's dried off the women dry her hair and curl it so it tumbles down her back. They give her a thin white robe that unbuttons in the front to wear, with nothing underneath it. They don't answer any of her questions as they put make up on her and give her a crown of flowers to place on her head. She starts crying again because they're being so cold with her and she doesn't understand what's happening. She was just flung in this world with no help.

"You're ready." Snaps the black haired witch. "Now turn around."

She has given up fighting them and does as she's told. They put a blind fold on her and lead her out of the room with one of them gripping her arm painfully. She has no idea where she's going or how long she's been walking but she does notice a change in the air and where ever they are taking her it smells like earth and old magic.

Someone stops her by placing their hands on her shoulders and it makes her shiver as the cold air chills her. She can smell manly cologne in front of her. It smells like Tom. Someone removes the blindfold to reveal that she's in an old circular room with large torches lining the mud brick wall. About twenty of Tom's Death Eaters are around the room and a large stone alter is beside her, with runes etched into the side. She starts shaking as she looks at Tom who's standing in front of her in a similar black robe looking all menacing and handsome.

He smiles at her and then takes a step closer. It takes all her will power not to step back. His hands go to the fastenings of her robes and he slowly starts to undo them with confident fingers. She brings her hands up to still his movements. She doesn't want to be naked in front of all of these people and she shakes her head the slightest bit to show her fear.

He brings his head down to her ear. "Don't worry." He whispers so no one else can hear. His breath on her neck makes her hair stand on end. "They know if they look at you in a lustful way I'll cut their eyes out."

She gulps as he continues, realizing she couldn't fight this. She's too young, she's too powerless to know what to do. So she closes her eyes and tries to pretend it's not happening. Once her robe falls to the floor he brings her hands up and urges her to undo his. She does so with shaky hands and ragged breathing, hyper aware of her body and all of the people in this room. When they're both unclothed he makes a head movement to one of his followers and they come forward with a dagger and his wand.

He picks up the dagger first. "Give me your left hand." He says and she does so reluctantly, crossing the other over her chest. He snaps a look to her and she drops it. He makes a diagonal cut along her palm and does the same to his right hand, ignoring the way she whimpered in pain. "Lie down."

She closes her eyes and lays down on the stone alter. It's cold and hurts her skin. She has to resist the urge to cover herself again but her eyes snap open when she feels hands on her knees, pushing them apart. Tom is between her legs now, looking down over her body possessively with his cold eyes. His body looks bright in this room. The light plays off of his pale skin and muscles so clearly defined on his stomach. His hair is still perfectly in place and he has a shadow of a smirk on his perfect lips.

"You will repeat every thing I say, do you understand?" he asks her as he lies down on top of her.

"Y-Yes, I understand." She answers, almost thankful that his warm, heavy body is covering hers now.

He grabs both of her hands as she shakes underneath him. Their blood mingling together on one side and his wand grasped in the other. He starts saying old magic words that she doesn't understand but she repeats them none the less. His eyes never once leaves her and she silently pleads with him not to do what she thinks is going to happen. But he doesn't care. In one swift movement he enters her and she cries out from the pain, not able to hold back because of the burning sensation between her thighs. He starts moving inside of her, still saying the words, and she repeats them but her mind is focused on the tearing pain between her legs. With a sob in her voice she says every word he does and prays this will be over soon.

His wand tip glows brighter with every word and there's a tingling in her left hand that's holding Tom's. He starts moving faster and she starts crying harder. Finally he stops talking and lets go of her hands, throwing his wand to the side. He brings his hands to touch her body, trailing blood where ever they go as they run over her hip, her side, her face, her breasts.

He kisses her neck and makes his way down, trailing harsh kisses down her collar bone and chest. She's never been this intimate with someone before and she feels like she should kiss him. She puts her hand on his cheek as he sucks her breast and he looks up at her with hooded eyes. She puts her head up to kiss him. He groans in the back of his throat and deepens the kiss and his thrusts as she gasps into his mouth. She instinctively wraps her legs around his waist trying to lessen the pain as she grips his arms for something to hold on to. His movements become quicker after a while and she feels his body tense. He releases himself inside of her with a long sigh in her ear, and he nips her neck one last time before sitting up. She opens her eyes, staring at the ceiling as he pulls out of her.

He sits back on his knees and studies her for a moment like there was no one else in the room. There's blood and semen between her legs and her body is flushed, glistening with sweat. Her lips are swollen and there is blood from his hand trailing around her body. He smirks when she looks at him with glazed eyes, looking thoroughly fucked. He likes her this way.

When he stands up a person comes up and puts the robe on him. He turns to Isabel and holds out his hand. She takes it and he pulls her up allowing another Death Eater to put her robe on that she tightens around her body as soon as she can. She looks over to him as he makes a small speech to his followers, not paying attention to anything he's saying. His black hair is all messed up now and he has red blood on the side of his face. No one that evil should be so handsome. It made sense when he was that ugly snake. The outside reflected what was inside. Not anymore…

"Come on." He says as he takes her hand and leads her out of the room. He drops her hand when they reach the hallway and he starts walking quickly in front of her.

She limps along behind him, trying to keep up, but failing miserably because of the pain between her legs. He spins around and glares at her. "What is taking you so long?" he snaps.

Her face turns red and she puts her head down. "It hurts to walk." She admits.

She hears him sigh loudly. "Take a seat." She looks up at him, he's pointing to a table that's along the wall.

She's reluctant but hops up on it anyways and winces when pain shoots through her. He walks in front of her and hikes up her robes, telling her to open her legs for him. She's afraid he's going to do it again so she turns her head to the side and closes her eyes, gripping her rob with her fingers. She anticipates the pain but when she hears him mumble a few words she looks down and sees his wand pointed between her legs. The pain fades away, replacing it with a warm tingle.

"Thank you." She says as she gives him a small smile even though she shouldn't. He can be so evil but then go and do something so impossibly kind. Who is he?

He steps back from her as she hops down, taking a moment to steady herself. He looks at her seriously as he takes a piece of her hair and twirls it between his fingers. "I could give you the world if you wanted it." He says quietly.

She looks up at him and studies his face. "I wish you would let me call you Tom." She whispers. She doesn't want the world. She wants something to be familiar to her in this place.

His eyes flash red as he yanks her hair and storms away. "I belong to the Dark Lord… but I could fall in love with Tom Riddle." She calls after him. He pauses but he doesn't turn around. He shakes his head and walks away from her.


	3. Chapter 3

She's in her rooms with her hands on her hips glaring at Tom. He's locked her away in the room again and hasn't allowed her to come out. Not even to eat with him.

"Why have you done this to me!" she yells. Frustration over her situation getting the better of her.

"Do not raise your voice to me." He hisses while staring her down.

"You made my family believe I was dead." She says softly so she doesn't anger him more. "and now they're dead. I want to know why. Do you hate me that much?"

He doesn't say anything to her.

"Tell me why."

"Because I could." And he leaves with a slam of the door. She hears it lock.

X

She's given up fighting him. He won't answer any of her questions. She's asked him multiple times about the locket around her neck, about why he did this to her, about the bonding ritual but every time she asks she gets the same answer. 'If I wanted you to know something, I would tell you.' He always says in his snide voice. She thinks about leaving sometimes, but where would she go? Everyone she's loved is dead and he is all she has from her old life. He probably likes it that way.

It's been two weeks since the ritual and she has barely seen him. He only comes to her room at night to take her. It doesn't hurt her anymore; actually she's begun to enjoy it. Just last night he hit a place inside of her causing her to scream out as a feeling rushed through her that she's never felt before. Tom was very smug after that.

He never stays though; he gets up, dresses and then leaves her alone on the bed. It makes her feel worse then she does before he does anything. She's read stories of men and woman who make love and then hold each other all night, tonight she's going to ask him to stay. After all, she is still a seventeen year old girl, even after all this time.

She's sitting at her vanity, brushing her hair when he comes in.

"Isabel." He greets her as he closes the door. He walks up behind her and moves some hair from her shoulder, placing a kiss there. "Did you miss me?"

"Yes." She says and has to resist rolling her eyes. She said no once, and that wasn't fun. She doesn't want to relive that experience.

"I thought so." He says as he smirks at her reflection. He takes the brush out of her hand and makes her stand up. He kisses her neck as he removes the dress from her body. "Undress me." He commands as he walks them back to the bed.

When they were teenagers she could handle him, but now he's older and more ruthless. It can't be easy, he's lived all those years but to her it's only been a few weeks since the 1943 dance. She feels totally out of control like she's living in a nightmare and there's no one there to wake her up. So she does what he says.

She starts unbuttoning his black shirt and when his chest is visible she places a hesitant kiss there. She looks up at his nervously, unsure of her actions. He smiles at her, a smile that could be considered warm if it wasn't coming from him. Once divested of his clothes he lays down on the bed pulling her on top of him.

"We're trying something new." He says as he places his hands on her hips and helps her lower herself on him. She puts her hands on his shoulders and doesn't move. He thrust his hips up and she gasps. "Do you like me being inside of you?" he asks. She cringes at his crude behavior. He used to be a gentleman.

She doesn't respond to his question and the hands on her hips tighten as he moves her up and down. Eventually she picks up on the rhythm and does it herself with her eyes slammed shut. She starts moving faster enjoying the friction. Trying to forget what's happened and the terrible thing she's doing… and who she's doing it with.

"Do you like this?" he asks her. "Do you like riding me?" when she doesn't answer he digs his finger nails into her sides making her whimper.

"Y-Yes." She mutters breathlessly as his hips move to match her movements.

"Yes what?" he says as he leans up and claims her mouth.

"Yes, My Lord." She doesn't want to say it but he'll make her if she doesn't.

He flips them so he's on top and starts barreling into her. She has to hold on to the railings on the bed so she doesn't hit the head board. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this." He growls out between thrusts.

When's he's finished, he rolls off of her and collects himself. He then sits up at the edge of the bed and starts putting his pants back on. She wants to get in his good graces. Maybe things will be easier.

She comes up behind him and touches his back. "Don't go." She says softly. He stops moving and looks over his shoulder at her with one dark eyebrow raised. "Stay here tonight, please?"

He eyes her for a few moments like she's hiding something and then he stands up. He buckles his pants and puts his shirt back on. Bending down, he grabs her chin placing a light kiss on her mouth.

"Your door will be unlocked tomorrow." He says and then leaves.

X

The house-elf showed her around the next day. The castle once belonged to Salazar Slytherin and Tom had taken it from whatever poor family owned it before. She shivers when she thinks about what he probably did to them. She's allowed to go anywhere but Tom's study and the dungeons. She doesn't mind though, she's just happy to be out of the room. It was starting to feel like a prison. A feeling of guilt rushes through her since she knows that Ginny, her brother, and Molly are locked away in an actual prison.

She opens to thick double doors that lead into the library and smiles as her eyes skim the rows of books. It will be much easier to pass the time with a good story. She grabs a book and sits down on one of the chairs facing the roaring fire. Her mind begins to wonder to the Weasley's… maybe she could convince Tom to let them go. It was her fault they're there after all.

She takes off her shoes and turns her body so they're dangling over the arm of the chair. The heat from the fire and the lights dimming from the setting sun make her drowsy and she doses off. Tom finds her this way.

He stares down at her sleeping form, deciding what he wants to do. She looks exactly the way he remembered her from so long ago. She's wearing a simple red dress that brings out the soft pinks in her pale skin and her red hair shines as the light from the fire reflects off of it. That's the same hair that first attracted her to him in the first place.

Her bright hair caught his eye when he was eleven, boarding the Hogwarts Express for the first time. He dropped something and she turned to pick it up, her light blue eyes dancing as she smiled at him. Even at a young age he knew that that was what a real witch should look like and the need to possess her ripped through him. He never felt anything for anyone until that day.

She was a stubborn, beautiful Gryffindor and the only person who could get better grades then him in school work. He wanted her immediately. Her smiles would fill up the Great Hall and when he learned that she was from one of the most prominent pureblood families he knew he had to have her. She was perfect for him and his cause. If only she would have listened to him.

He tried to be good to her, he tried to be patient but he had big plans and ideas that she didn't understand. If she only would have behaved then none of this would have happened in the first place. When she first broke it off with him he wanted to kill her, but he decided to give her time to come to her senses. Something he would never do for anyone else. That all crumbled when she started seeing a mudblood and he wouldn't have any of that. How could she want any one else but him? She was his, why couldn't she see that?

She makes a little noise causing Tom to pull back from his thoughts and look down at her again. He brings his hand down and runs his fingers along the bottom of her foot. She wakes at the contact. When she sees him staring down at her she twirls her body so she sitting right in the chair.

"We're having dinner at eight." He says coldly. He knows no other way to be, especially around her. A part of him resents her for the hold she has over him.

She rubs her eyes to rid them of sleep. "What time is it now?"

"It's seven. I expect you to be ready and in the dining hall by a quarter till. Is that understood?"

She doesn't look at him as she answers. "Yes, I understand."

With a swirl of his dark robes he leaves and Isabel lets out a sigh of relief.

X

There is a dark blue, silk gown lying on her bed when she enters. She looks at it questionably for a few moments before she picks it up and runs the smooth fabric through her fingers. She's never had to dress up for meals so she wonders why tonight is any different.

Shrugging her shoulders she changes out of her other clothes and slips on the beautiful dress. It feels wonderful against her skin so she goes to the mirror to look at her self. It's formfitting and drops down to her ankles, with thin straps and a modestly cut front. She turns around to see that her back is totally exposed. She worries her lip between her teeth wondering if that is too much skin to show. A house-elf pops into the room and makes her put on high heel shoes of the same color and quickly does up her hair and make up.

As the house-elf is ushering her out of the room she chances a look at the clock. She has two minutes to make to the dining hall before she's late. Wanting to give him no reason to punish her, she takes off her shoes and holds them as she runs down the hall way. She lifts up her dress as she makes her way down the stairs but nearly trips on the rug at the bottom. She rights her self and makes it in front of the doors before the minute hand ticks to seven forty five. She puts on her shoes and smoothes out her dress before she takes a deep breath and opens the door.

Her heart stops when she sees that it's not only Tom waiting there for her, but a whole table full of people. She stands awkwardly by the door, watching the people with wide eyes as they all stand and look at her expectantly. Toms the only one not standing; he's sitting at the head of the table with a glass of wine in his hand. He's looking at her with amused eyes.

"Were you in a hurry?" he asks and the people at the table snicker. She is now conscience of her red face and her heavy breathing from running the whole way there. She looks to the ground. "Well, are you going to stand there all day or sit down so we can eat?" he snaps.

Her face becomes a darker shade of red as she quickly comes to his side and takes a seat on the empty chair to his right. The other guests follow suit. She chances a glance around the table as the food appears on their plates. Sitting across from her is the woman with black hair who was so mean to her during the night of the bonding ritual. She sneers at Isabel when she sees her looking so she turns her head away. Beside that woman is a man with dark eyes that she finds familiar but she can't place it.

She continues to study the guests until her eyes land on a blond boy about her age who's looking at her with a curious expression on his face. He has pale skin and dark gray eyes that stand out under dark lashes. He's handsome, but not as handsome as Tom. She nearly yelps when she feels a hand squeeze painfully around her thigh. She looks to Tom who's watching her with a cocked head and raised eyebrow. He's jealous, she can tell so she looks back down to her plate and picks up her fork.

She's about to start eating when she remembered that she's supposed to ask permission first. With all of theses people around that would be embarrassing. She looks at Tom again who's drinking from his wine glass. She bites her lower lip and gives him a pleading look but he ignores her. She puts down her fork and sits back in her chair. She's not going to ask in front of all these people.

"Are you not hungry, My Lady?" says the dark haired woman. Her voice is full of venom.

Her dark gaze makes Isabel nervous. "Um, well….I…"

"Stop stuttering and answer." She snaps.

Isabel can feel her face turn red as the other guests quiet down to listen. This older woman scares her. "No, I'm not very hungry." She lies in a soft voice and tries to look anywhere but at the mean woman in front of her.

"You dare insult the Dark Lord by coming to his table and not accepting his generosity."

She looks to Tom for help but he seems to be mildly amused by the whole situation.

"N-No, I don't mean it that way." She stutters and wishes that the floor would open up and swallow her.

"In what way do you mean it then?" she demands and tightens her grip around her fork.

"I don't know." She's incapable of coming up with any other answer. She kind of feels like crying. She knows no one in this room besides Tom and he's no help.

"You don't know?" she sneers and leans forward out of her chair. " What a weak little thing you are." She hisses. "Unworthy of the attention of our Lord."

"Bella." Tom's voice is low and cuts through the tension in the room. "I believe it's me who decides who's worthy." He says.

Bella sits back in her chair and smiles at him. "Of course, My Lord. I just don't understand what you see in this little harlot."

Isabel looks around the table and see that some people are smirking at her while others are glaring. She looks at Tom who's merely staring at the other woman with an unreadable expression. She hates him. Why does his take so much pleasure in her pain? Her face burns with embarrassment and unwanted tears are prickling her eyes. Everything is too much to bear so without thinking she gets up from her chair and runs out of the room.

X

She throws herself down on her bed and cries into her pillows. She used to be strong but now she feels like everything is out of her reach and she doesn't know how to handle things. She's about to get up to wash her face when her door slams open and a very angry looking Tom stomps into the room.

"Get up." He barks and she stands as quickly as possible. "Who the fuck do you think you are, leaving like that?"

"I was upset." She answers. "Why did you let that woman treat me so badly? "

"I can do whatever I want." He hisses and takes quick steps towards her causing her to back up until she's against the wall. "and I did not dismiss you."

"I'm sorry." She says weakly as she looks at his shoes.

He laughs a humorless laugh. "Oh, I bet you are. Do you know what happens to naughty little girls who disobey the Dark Lord?" he says darkly.

She can't help the shiver that goes up her spine. She swallows slowly and shakes her head no.

"They get punished." He grabs her hand and throws her against a desk by the window. She watches as he removes the belt from his pants. "Turn around and put your hands on the desk." He demands his voice is stern and leaves no room for argument.

She does so shakily and closes her eyes tight as she feels him lift the bottom of her dress up. She lets out a soft cry as she feels the cold leather of his belt hit her back side. He hits her over and over again until she's sure she won't be able to sit down properly for a month. When he finally stops there's a puddle of tears underneath her and her throat hurts from crying out. He stands her up straight and forces her to look at him.

"Did you learn your lesson, Kitten?"

"Yes," she says, sniffling as she brings her hands up to wipe some tears away.

"Good," he says as he puts his belt back around his pants. "Take a shower and go to bed. I'll be up later and I expect you to be ready for me."

With that he turns on his heal and slams the door, locking it from the outside. Isabel crumbles to the ground and cries until she thinks she has no more tears left. She makes a deal with her self. She isn't going to let Tom get to her anymore and she's going to try to get the Weasleys out of the dungeons. If she can get them out then she can go with them and leave this whole nasty castle behind.

X

She feels him slide into bed beside her so she shuts her eyes quickly and pretends she's asleep. She feels his hand go around her hip and she can't stop the little sob that escapes her mouth.

"I punished her too, Isabel. You should know that." He says referring to the hateful woman from diner.

"Why didn't you stop her?" she asks quietly as his body comes closer to hers.

"You need to learn to fight your own battles." He says as he places a kiss on her neck. "My Death Eaters are harsh and I won't always be around to protect you from them."

"You hurt me." She says barely above a whisper. "You don't have to hurt me to get me to listen to you."

"Do I not?" he asks as he settles himself between her legs and kisses her.

"No, no you don't."

"Then don't disobey me again and don't provoke my temper." He says against her neck and she would roll her eyes if it wasn't so serious.

She closes her eyes and lets him do what he wants with her body. That night he stays.

X


	4. Chapter 4

Isabel has been pacing back and forth in front of the old dark door the leads into the dungeons for half an hour. It looks harmless enough but it's one of the only things forbidden to her in this place. She stops moving and faces the door with her hands on her hips. There may be a curse or charm on the door that'll hurt her if she opens it, or maybe Tom just trusts her not to go in there… that's more unlikely of the two.

She takes a deep breath before reaching for the handle. The door swings open before she touches it making her fall back. She lifts her head fearfully to the door to see who it is.

"What are you doing?" asks the blond boy that she remembers from the horrible dinner.

"I was lost." She lies.

He looks around the hallway that has no other doors. "Is that so?" he asks, clearly amused by her distress.

She stands up and straightens out her dress. "Yes, it is." She says with a little more bravado.

He smirks at her. "Well, what exactly were you looking for? Perhaps I could help you find it." He says as he shuts the door and locks it with his wand.

"Well, I was... it was nothing." She finishes lamely and spins around to hurry down the hallway.

"I'm sure the Dark Lord would like to hear about this." He says making her stop in her tracts. "If you're lost that means the house elves didn't give you a very good tour, now did they? I'm sure he'd be very unhappy with them."

She turns and glares at him and his silent threat. She opens her mouth to respond to him but is cut off.

"Isabel, what are you doing down here?" It's Tom.

She closes her eyes and faces him. She looks down at his shoes while she answers. "I was just walking around." She says with a shaky voice. In all honesty his cold facade scares her to death.

"Down by the dungeons?" he questions and looks behind her. "With young Mr. Malfoy no less." He adds with an evil sneer.

"She said she was lost, My Lord." Malfoy says from behind her and she wishes she could turn around and curse him.

Tom takes a menacing step towards her. "Were you lost?" he questions.

She finally looks in his eyes and sees the flecks of red intertwining with dark blue. He's livid. Now she has to choose to lie or tell the truth… he's going to get the truth out of her anyways… "No, I wasn't." She says softly looking down at her feet.

"You, leave." He says to Malfoy and she feels him walk by her and out of the hallway. Once he's out of ear shot Tom stocks towards her until his face is only inches away from her. "So, if you weren't lost… what were you doing down here?" he asks in a calm voice.

"I just wanted to walk down here."

"Really?" She nods her head. "Why did you want to walk down here? There is nothing to look at."

"I was bored." She says trying to gather up some courage.

He takes a strand of her hair and twirls it around his finger. "You were bored?" he asks lightly. "Surely you weren't down here to try to visit a few redheaded relatives of yours were you?"

"No." she answers.

He sighs loudly and drops her hair. "You really aren't making things easier on yourself." He tells her making her shiver.

"Please don't be mad." She says looking up at him pleadingly. He raises a dark eyebrow at her and she sighs loudly. "Ok, I was coming down here to see them but I'm so lonely. You never talk to me and I have no friends here. Maybe if you let them out I wouldn't be so bored all the time."

"Nice try, dear, but I am not a fool." She looks at him with wide eyes. "Do you think I would actually allow blood traitors to run free around my castle just so you have someone to talk to?"

Anger and sadness boils up with in her and she turns her face away from him. "I wish you would have killed me." She says softly to herself. A new defeatist attitude overtaking her.

"Look at me." He says and it almost sounds gentle. She turns back to him and he grabs her chin so she can't move. "Never say that again."

"Why not?" she asks. "I mean it. I should just kill myself. It might make things easier on me."

Anger flashes in his eyes again and his jaw twitches. "You are not allowed to die." He hisses and she laughs.

"You can't stop a person from dying, Tom." She says deliberately using his name.

He grabs the locket around her neck and twists it in his hand so she's pulled closer to him. "I don't think you understand, Kitten." He says through gritted teeth. "You can't die."

He lets go of the locket and pushes her causing her to fall to the ground. "What do you mean I can't die!" she yells.

He smiles darkly at her. "That necklace won't let you." He says nodding to her neck. "You see, you'll stay young and unable to die until I take it off of you, which I will never do. Good little spell isn't it? So you can go drown yourself in the bath tub all you want and it will do no good." She sucks in a shaky breath. "Do you like my gift by the way? It was a family heirloom after all."

"I hate you." She hisses.

He laughs humorlessly. "We'll be spending a very long time together so I suggest you get over that minor scruple."

"What do you want from me?" she says with tears prickling her eyes.

He looks at her very seriously. "Everything."

They stay in the hallway staring at each other for a long time. She doesn't move off the ground and he doesn't remove his hands from his pockets. Finally he shakes his head like he's ridding it of unwanted thoughts.

"Go to your room." He orders.

She doesn't look at him as she stands up and walks past him. "Yes, My Lord." Her voice no longer holds emotion.

X

He comes to her that night and she's waiting for him by the window. When he comes into the room she removes her clothes with out being told and turns to him. He takes calculated steps to her and brings his hands up to caress her body, with his eyes trained on hers. They stare blankly back at him.

"Kiss me." He demands hoarsely. She does what he says but he pulls back and grips her arms. "Kiss me like you mean it." He hisses and dips his head down to ravage her mouth painfully.

He pulls back again and there's blood running from her lip where he bit her. "Do as I say." He says as he shakes her.

"I'm sorry, I can't." she says flatly.

"What do you mean you can't?" his nails dig into her skin leaving marks.

"I can't kiss you like I mean it because I don't mean it."

He lets out a feral growl and grabs her wrist pulling her to the bed. He throws her down harshly on the mattress. "I don't need to kiss you to fuck you." He says crudely but she doesn't cringe. "Get on your hands and knees."

He enters her in one painful thrust and she bites the insides of her mouth so she doesn't scream. His fingers dig into her hips as he pounds inside her, making the bed shake violently. Her hands grip the bed sheets trying to stay in place.

He starts ranting between thrusts. "You will learn your place. You belong to me and you always will. You're mine, I own you. You will love me." She doubts he even knows what he's saying. He drags his nails down her back, leaving red scratch marks in their trail and she arches her back to deaden the pain. He sounds crazy… he is crazy. "Mine… you're mine…completely mine."

When he's done he falls on her back making her collapse under his weight. His breathing is heavy and erratic in her ear. He lightly bites her shoulder; hard enough to make teeth imprints but not to break skin. After a few moments his breathing comes back under control and he gets off of her to start righting his clothes.

She gets down under the covers and faces away from him. "I hope you feel better now." She mutters as he walks to the door.

He pauses for a moment and then punches the wall before he walks out and slams the door shut.

X

Lord Voldemort is an important man and he doesn't care about trivial things like feelings. Especially his own, barely there, ones. So the odd emotions that are coursing through him as he sits in his office are very bothersome to him. In fact they piss him off. He's sitting at his desk with a troubled expression on his handsome face as he stares at the glass of bourbon in his hands.

He doesn't want to hurt her like he does but he can't help it. She is just so frustrating. He's good at manipulating people; he's excellent at strategizing battles and killing off enemies. He knows how to handle a whole army full of hateful men but he is at a total loss when it comes to the redheaded girl upstairs. He leans back in his chair and puts his hands behind his head. Perhaps, he thinks to himself, he should treat her differently. Try a new angle with her. He doesn't want her to be an empty shell, after all.

He comes to a decision and with a new resolve he calls Draco Malfoy to his Office. The door opens a few minutes later.

"You called, My Lord." Says the young man as he bows down low.

"Bring Ginny Weasley here."

Draco nods his head and leaves the room with a spin of his heals. He stretches before standing up and walking around to the front of his desk. He crosses his arms and rests his back against the wood as Draco enters again, dragging a dirty Ginny behind him.

He throws her on the ground at the Dark Lord's feet. "You may go." He says with a wave of his hand, his eyes never leaving the girl in front of him. Draco leaves and closes the door behind him. "Why, Ginevra you look a mess." He chastises with a click of his tongue.

She lifts her head and spits on his shoes. This makes him smile. The dungeons have made her feisty, interesting.

"Now, now there is no need for that." He says like he's talking to a child. He takes out his wand and cleans his shoes. "You should feel lucky little one… I have a new job for you."

She raises her head again and looks in his eyes. "I won't do anything for you." She growls out.

He smiles. "I'll remember that." He says lightly. "but what I want you to do has nothing to do with me. You see my girl seems to be very unhappy and when she's unhappy I'm unhappy."

She eyes him suspiciously. "I don't understand."

"Why am I not surprised?" he says meanly making her blush red. "You will be cleaned up and you will keep Isabel company when I'm not around." He pushes off the desk so he's towering over her. "I want her more agreeable and if allowing her to talk to you is the only way then so be it."

He snaps his fingers and an old house elf appears. "Make her take a bath and put her in presentable clothes. When your done lock her in the blue guest room." He tells it. He turns back to her as she stands on shaky legs. "Remember, Ginevra, if she displeases me anymore you'll be accepting her punishments from now on. So try to convince her, I'm sure you could make her understand." He says in a smooth voice.

The house-elf drags her out of the room and the Dark Lord falls back into his chair with a small smile on his face. He finishes his glass of liquor and puts it back on the table. Sighing loudly he lifts himself up and walks out of the office, to his bedroom.

He uses his wand to turn on the lights when he enters through the thick door and sees her sleeping deeply on her stomach with her arms folded underneath her head, propping up her pillow. The blanket is resting around her lower body leaving her shoulders and back completely bare.

He slowly walks up to her and runs his fingers down her spine, taking in the red scratch marks he made earlier. Her skin prickles under his touch and she turns her head so she's facing him. She doesn't wake up as he takes out his wand and heals her wounds. He removes his clothes and settles in beside her, pulling her back flush against his body. She unconsciously settles back into his chest and he kisses the back of her neck… things will change he tells himself before he closes her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

"I think I'll stay in here." She says as she steps out of the bathroom, soaking wet, pulling the towel tighter around her body.

Isabel has refused to come out of the room all day, even after Tom requested her for dinner. There's no point in going anywhere; a prison is still a prison no matter what the boundaries are. She's done with him… she's just his toy anyways.

"Please Miss!" squeaks the house elf, its bulging yellow eyes frantically following her movements as she walks to the closet and pulls on a clean dress. "Master will iron Turvey's ears if yous don't go!"

That makes her stop. "Did he say that?" She asks and the house elf nods her head up and down violently. She puts her hands on her hips and stares down at the little creature who's wringing her crooked fingers nervously. "Damnit." She says under her breath so the house elf doesn't hear her. "Fine I'll go." She snaps.

She stomps all the way to the dining room and opens the door with lack of finesse. She feels Tom's eyes on her as she slumps in her seat beside him.

"You're fifteen minutes late." He says with out the usual venom.

She looks down at her plate that's already full of food and ignores his statement. "May I eat?" she bites out.

He rakes his eyes up and down her body as he takes a slow swallow of wine. "You may." He says lightly. She picks up her fork and starts poking at her food. He still stares at her intently. "I have a surprise for you after you're done eating." He tells her.

"Okay." Is all she says and he frowns at her lack of enthusiasm. He has to fight down his urge to hit her… he's trying to be nice so he takes a deep breath.

When they're finished he orders her to follow him so with a sigh she falls into step behind him. He takes her down the guest hallway of the castle and stops before a large wooden door.

"Now," he says as he turns to her with his hand on the door knob. "Since I'm doing this for you I want you to start behaving the way I want you to. No more of this caged bird attitude you've adopted. If you anger me I won't hesitate to have your new present destroyed. Do you understand?"

She looks at him with confusions on her face. "Yes, I suppose I understand." She says uncertainly. Almost fearing what's on the other side of the door.

He eyes her for a few moments before nodding his head and opening the door. Isabel hesitantly follows him in and barely dodges the book that goes flying past her head. She hears a mad growl coming from the other side of the room and without knowing why she grabs Tom's hand and hides behind him. She hears him chuckle and he squeezes her hand.

"I told you to stay away from me!" Screeches a female voice from the corner.

Isabel knows that voice. She peeks from around Tom's shoulder and sees Ginny Weasley standing defiantly in the corner with her eyes narrowed.

"Tsk, Tsk, Ginevra… Have you forgotten what I've told you already?"

She steps out from around Tom and lets go of his hand. "Ginny?" she asks.

The other girl drops her hands from her hips and widens her eyes in surprise. A real smile comes to Isabel's face as she runs forward and embraces the other girl in a tight hug.

"Are you alright?" she asks her against her hair.

"For now." Ginny says and pulls back with a sad smile on her face.

"As touching as this is I have to be going." Sneers Tom from the doorway. "I hope you both remember what I told you or this little reunion will never happen again."

Isabel turns around to face him with a smile on her face. She's too happy to let him ruin it. She takes Ginny's hand and holds it in her own. "We won't, I promise."

He gives her an amused smirk. "I surely hope not." He says. He takes a look down at his wrist watch and then back up to Isabel. "You will be in your room in half an hour and you had better be more… agreeable tonight." He says and then leaves the room with a slam of the door.

Isabel gulps uncomfortably and turns uneasy eyes back to Ginny. "What does he mean by agreeable?" Ginny asks her.

"You don't want to know." She says solemnly and then straightens up her back and smiles. "Let's not talk about that… How are you doing? How is your family?"

Ginny hangs her head and walks to the bed. Falling on it in an ungraceful thump. "We were in the dungeons for ever. How do you think we're doing?" she snaps.

Isabel takes a seat on the other side of the bed timidly and casts her eyes down, looking are the dark blue bedspread. "I'm sorry." She says quietly.

Ginny sighs loudly and then sits up. "No, I'm sorry I know none of this is your fault." She looks at her. "So, what are you to him? What does he want with you?" she asks.

"I'm not exactly sure." She says with a blush. "I think we're married."

"You think?"

"I'm not exactly sure…" she says and she goes on to explain the bonding ritual and the strange things that he always tells her. She also explains the locket and what he said about her not being able to die. "Sometimes I think he likes me but then other times all he does is cause me pain, I don't understand him."

Ginny eyes her curiously. "You know since he's allowing you to see me that should mean something. He told me he wanted to make you happy…" Isabel looks at her in surprise because of her light tone and thoughtful voice. "You know, my mother is very sick… she has some kind of flu and the cold cells they've put us in, is just making it worse. Maybe you could convince him to let her out."

"I highly doubt he will, Ginny." she says honestly.

"Just give him what he wants and maybe he'll consider it."

Isabel's anger snaps. "That's easy for you to say but you aren't the one who has to do it." Her voice softens when she looks at Ginny. She's pale and a lot thinner then she remembers. "Besides I never know what he wants. He changes from hot to cold in a matter of seconds and his mind changes from day to day."

"She may die." Ginny says quietly looking at her hands.

Guilt rushes through Isabel for the millionth time since she's been in the castle and she exhales loudly before she answers. "I'll try." She promises and Ginny's face lights up. " What about your brother… George isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's George… He's not down there anymore." She says sadly. "They made him join the army."

"Seriously? Why would they make him do such a thing?"

Ginny shrugs. "Because he's an able bodied male and they have the rest of his family to threaten here if he doesn't do it."

"Everything is so messed up."

"Yeah, it is but we have each other now."

They share a smile. "Yes, we do." Says Isabel. She looks at the clock on the mantle piece. "I have fifteen minutes left, let's talk about happy things and pretend we're somewhere else for a while."

X

"Did you like my gift?" Tom asks as Isabel returns to the room. Surprisingly he was already there waiting when she showed up.

She stops in front of the fire where he's sitting. "Yes, thank you." She smiles at him. "It was very kind of you." She adds.

He snorts, probably because no one has ever described him as kind. He stands up and places a hand on her hip. "Why don't you show me how much you appreciate my gift?" He runs his fingers along her lips. "Show me how truly thankful you are." He says with his eyes glittering.

Her heart beat starts to grow faster. She's still not comfortable with her sexuality and the things they do together. She thinks of Ginny and her Mother… She looks at his face taking in how truly handsome he is, even with his evil smirk. It isn't hard to be attracted to him and enjoy things like kissing him. So, taking a step closer to him, she brings her arms up around his neck and kisses him.

She kisses him passionately trying to find his favor and she's convinced she's doing something right when he releases a very satisfied moan. He tangles his hands in her hair and pulls her tighter against him. He pulls back and looks into her eyes.

"See, I can be good to you." He says. "I can give you anything you want if you agree to be mine forever."

She doesn't think it would be wise to point out that he can't actually give her everything she wants. He can't give her old life back. He can't bring back her family or friends. He'll never let her go… so instead of bringing those things up she smiles at him.

"I will be."

He smiles and his eyes darken as he kisses her again and walks her back towards the bed. His head snaps up when someone knocks on the door.

"What?" he snaps.

"I'm sorry My Lord but I need to speak to you." says the voice from the other side of the door.

Isabel feels bad for which ever one of his followers is on the other side of the door because, judging by the way Tom is glaring at the wood, it doesn't look very good for him.

"It had better be important." Hisses Tom. He looks down at the woman in front of him. "I'll be back later." He says softly.

He stomps the door and opens it to reveal a blond headed Death Eater that looks like an older version of that Draco Malfoy boy. The blond man whispers something to Tom and he smiles and twisted smile. He slams the door and walks off with his follower. Isabel lies down on the bed and closes her eyes, eventually falling into an uneasy sleep.

Her eyes snap open when someone busts through the door. She brings the covers up to her chest as her eyes adjust to the dark. Someone whispers a spell and the lights come on. She sees Tom standing in the door way. His black hair is soaking wet and sticking to his forehead and neck, there is blood coming out of a cut on his right cheek bone, he's breathing heavily and there is a strange look in his eyes.

Isabel stands, nervous at his appearance. "Are you alright?" she asks timidly as she walks around the bed to get a little closer to him.

He smiles, closes the door, and stalks towards her. She has to stop herself from backing away. He picks her up around the waist and spins her around with a very uncharacteristic light in his eyes. He's happy she realizes and immediately starts to worry. A happy Dark Lord can never be good.

He puts her back on her feet. "No one stands in my way now." He says and kisses her hard on the mouth.

"What do you mean?" she asks him breathlessly as he works on the zipper of her dress.

His reply is to smirk. "The world is mine now." He says as he kisses the side of her neck. The dress falls to her feet and he pushes her down on the bed. He covers her body with his and nudges her legs apart with his own, settling himself between them. He stops moving and looks her in the eyes. Tom brings his hands up and removes some hair from her face. "Ours." He says almost tenderly and then kisses her again.

Isabel doesn't feel very good about this. There is an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as he removes her remaining clothes. The sun is just starting to rise, its dawn, and she lays still underneath him, too stunned to move.

He raises his head from kissing her stomach. "What's wrong? Aren't you happy for me?"

He asks with annoyance showing in his voice.

"I'm a little shocked, is all." She says not wanting to disappoint him.

"Well," he starts as he crawls up her body again. He rests his forearms on either side of her body and lowers his head so he's whispering in her ear. "Don't I deserve a little reward for the amazing feet I achieved?"

"And what exactly did you do?" she asks slowly, not totally sure if she want to know the answer.

He lifts himself up so he can looks in her eyes. "I killed Harry Potter."

Tom slowly smiles and dips his head to kiss her. Isabel tries not to cry. She knew Harry he was nice and from what she understood he was the only one who could bring Tom down. What does that mean now? No one will be able to save her or fix anything. She and Ginny had talked about him yesterday, Ginny loved him so much. Unwanted tears break from her eyes and fall down her cheeks.

Tom pulls back again and looks at her angrily. "Why are you crying?" he asks sharply.

She doesn't want to make him mad but she can't help it. She starts crying harder and brings her hands up to cover her face. Tom jumps off of her and grabs her hands.

"You should be glad. You should be happy for me." He says sharply. "Any other woman would be proud to hold your place of honor and what do you do to repay me? You cry over my enemy."

"I'm sorry." She cries unable to stop her tears or do anything else. She's just depressed.

He pulls her hair and yanks her out of bed. "You're always sorry aren't you?" He snaps. "Get dressed."

She quickly puts on the dress that he removed earlier. He scowls at her the whole time and grabs her wrist before she can zip it up. He pulls her down the hallway to the room Ginny's being kept in.

"What are you doing?" she asks him.

"Shut up."

He opens the door violently and stomps over to the bed, pulling Ginny out of a deep sleep then throws her down on the wooden floor. He takes out his wand and points it at the door, slamming it shut and locking it. Isabel watches with wide eyes as he points the wand down at Ginny.

"I murdered your boyfriend." He tells her calmly.

Ginny stares at him blankly. Confused from sleep and then it sinks into her and tears well in her eyes. "You're lying." she says trying to be brave.

Tom kicks her in the stomach. Isabel runs closer to them. "Please stop." She begs. "You're mad at me, not her."

He smirks down at Ginny. "Ginevra, didn't I tell you that if Isabel displeased me that you would be taking her punishments." Ginny watches him with wide eyes but doesn't answer. Tom tears his head from her and sneers at Isabel. "Yes, I believe that is what I said."

There is a demented look in his eyes as he casts curse after painful curse on the small girl underneath him. He doesn't stop; no matter how many times Isabel begs so she slumps against the wall with tears in her eyes and hugs her knees to her chest. Finally the screams die down and she lifts her head to see Tom walk over to her.

"Are you finally ready to act like a good little girl for me?" he asks flatly.

She nods her head and he grabs her arms and pulls her up. She looks over her shoulder and sees Ginny lying in the middle of the floor breathing heavily with long red gashes all over her back, with shredded clothes and blood pooling around her. Her heart breaks again as Tom slams the door.

She spends the next few hours doing what he wants with a fake smile on her face.

X

"I'm so sorry." She says as she runs the sponge over the deeps gashes on Ginny's back. "I didn't know he would hurt you."

"It's ok." Says Ginny. She's sitting up in the bathtub with her forehead resting on her knees. The water is a dark red from her blood. "He's evil, it's not really surprising." She says and inhales deeply when Isabel hit's a particularly painful cut.

"He shouldn't have done this to you." Isabel says quietly. "He was mad at me."

"What did you do?" asks Ginny. "Since he killed… you know… shouldn't he have been in a good mood?"

"He was… he was mad because I wasn't."

Ginny nods her head. "I think I'm ready to get out now."

Isabel stands up from her place by the tub and picks up a towel from the counter. She closes her eyes as Ginny stands and takes it from her. She winces when she wraps it around her body.

"I'd rather have him torture me then have to do whatever he makes you do." Ginny tells her as they walk into her bedroom.

"It really isn't so bad." She says with a blush on her face. "Sometimes he's gentle."

Ginny looks at her sympathetically for a few moments and then faces forward. "There has to be a way to get out of here." she says as she puts on her clothes.

"I don't think there is." Says Isabel. "There are wards set up and guards all over the place."

"Can we at least go outside?" asks Ginny as she sits down on the bed. "I haven't been outside for such a long time."

"I'd have to ask him." she answers uneasily. She doesn't really want to talk to him. Especially after last night…

She nods her head solemnly. "Let's do something else then."

Isabel studies the broken girl on the bed. She just lost most of her family and the love of her life. She was tortured for no reason what so ever and stuck in a cold cell for months, she deserves to get at least something she wants. She feels responsible for this girl. She is her great, great grandniece or something like that, after all. Isabel chews her bottom lip nervously as she comes to a decision.

"I'll go ask him if we can go outside."

"You really don't have to do that. I know how he is." Ginny says as she turns to her.

"It's worth a try." She says with a fake smile and leaves the room to find Tom.

She finds out from a house elf that he's in his study right now. She isn't sure if she should disturb him while he's in there but she's determined. She walks up the door that's being guarded by two cloaked Death Eaters. They eye her curiously as she approaches.

"Hi," she says awkwardly. "I'd like to speak with the Dark Lord." She says trying to address him officially.

They throw each other nervous glances.

"He's busy, My Lady." Says the man on the right. "Now may not be a good time."

"It will only take a second." She says, totally aware of how young and whinny she sounds.

They look at her for a few moments before the man on the right nods his head and the man on the left opens the door, closing it behind him. Isabel watches the door curiously as she shifts her feet nervously. When the man reappears he keeps the door open and bows his head signaling her to go in.

She takes timid steps into his study, a place she has never been, and looks towards his large dark desk. He's standing up bent over his desk looking down at something and pointing. Three other people are with him following the progression of his finger. There is the dark haired woman named Bella by his side, the older Malfoy, and a dark, hook nosed man that she remembers seeing at the burrow the night she was awoken.

Tom lifts his head when she enters. "What did you want?" he asks and all eyes turn towards her making her blush.

She ignores the hostile glares of the others and looks down at her shoes. "I was wondering if I could go outside."

Bellatrix snorts and rolls her eyes but Tom eyes her suspiciously. "Why would you want to do that?" he asks as he steps around his desk and walks up to her.

"The weather is beautiful and I haven't seen the gardens yet." She says finally looking up to his face when he stops close in front of her.

He cocks his head to the side and studies her for a few seconds through narrowed eyes. "Why should I let you?" he asks quietly so the others don't hear.

"I'll be good." Is all she can say. She doesn't really know how to respond.

He smirks. "I don't doubt that." He says and brings a hand out of his pocket and runs his fingers down her cheek. "Do you think I should let you after the way you behaved yesterday?"

She takes his hand away from her face and kisses it trying to convince him. "I'll never act that way again." She promises.

He eyes her for a few seconds. "Goyle," he calls and one of the guards from the door steps in and bows his head down low. "Keep your eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid while she's out side."

Isabel smiles and resists the urge to clap her hands. She stands up on her top toes and kisses Tom on the cheek. "Thank you." She says in his ear and nearly skips out of the room after the burley Death Eater.

Tom watches her go with a light smile on his face. He lets it drop when he turns around and faces his three main generals who are looking at him oddly. He sends a warning death glare around the table and they all drop their gaze to the floor.

"Now, back to business." He barks out with malice.

X

"Have you ever seen so many flowers?" asks Isabel as her and Ginny run through the large garden which is full of the most beautiful and exotic plants and statues. "It's strange that such beautiful things can grow in a place like this."

Ginny bends down and picks another flower adding it to the bundle she's been gathering. "I know what you mean. It seems like a world a part doesn't it?"

"It does." She agrees and looks over her shoulder to see the Goyle boy still trailing grumpily behind them. Ginny seems to know him and thinks it's funny that his job is to 'baby sit' two girls.

It's nice out here she decides. It isn't like the dark castle and the sun is shining down on them making everything seem heavenly. She closes her eyes and inhales the sweet smells, pretending she's home, pretending she's somewhere else. She and Ginny have gotten good at pretending such things. Suddenly she feels something wet hit her face and she opens her eyes to see Ginny giggling by a fountain with her hands covered in water.

"How dare you!" she teases and runs over to the fountain, dipping her hand in and splashing the other girl.

They chase each other around, throwing water at each other and laughing like they have no worries in the world and forgetting about everything that's happened, if only for a little while. They start running further out of the garden, with an out of breath Goyle trying desperately to keep up. They both stop when they find a large, twisted looking, white tree with a large, ornate swing hanging from one of the thick branches. They look at each other with raised eye brows before breaking out into a run to reach it.

Ginny gets there first and hops on. It's big enough to hold four people so Isabel sits beside her. She looks over her shoulder at the guard. He's bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"Do you think we should ask him to push us?" she says lightly to Ginny.

"You could always order him to, My Lady." She says jokingly, having found it immensely funny that Goyle addressed her as such. "Please play the spoiled princess card."

"Hey, you there!" she calls out. "Would you push us please?"

Goyle scowls and walks up to the swing. "No." he barks out glaring at them both hatefully.

Isabel pouts. "but it would make me happy." She says with her arms crossed.

"Very happy." Adds Ginny beside her with a smirk. "And His Lordship likes to keep his Lady happy, doesn't he?" she says making Isabel hide a giggle behind her hand.

Goyle cusses loudly and starts pushing the swing. The two girls relax and close there eyes as they go higher and higher. "Do you think it's wrong that we smile?" asks Ginny.

Isabel knows why she asks, she's been asking herself the same question. Is it right to try to be happy with so many loved ones dead and the situation that they're in. She sighs loudly. "I think it's good that we still can smile." She says seriously.

They hold each others hands as Goyle pushes the swing. They spend the rest of the time in silence, thinking back on a life that will never come again. None of them are aware that they were being watched by dark blues eyes from the balcony. Tom looks down at them as they swing and his eyes focus on the smile that's on Isabel's face, wishing he could make her laugh like that.


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you remember when we were in school and you said you wanted to make the world a better place for witches and wizards?"

Tom closes the book he was reading and looks over to Isabel. She's sitting sideways in the arm chair with her chin resting in her hand. She's looking at him earnestly with her light blue eyes.

"Yes." He answers; a little surprised by her question… she normally doesn't try to talk to him about anything.

She lowers her eyes and starts playing with the hem of her skirt. "How are you making the world a better place for us if you're killing mostly everyone?" she asks quietly, hoping it doesn't anger him.

He stands up and puts the book back on the shelf. "Some of us don't understand what it is to be magical. We have so much power and we shouldn't have to hide it from dirty muggles just so they don't get jealous." He walks back to his seat and faces her. "You're either with the cause or you're against it."

Her brow scrunches up and a frown graces her face. "You didn't answer my question." She points out. "You know violence isn't the only way."

He smirks and relaxes into his chair. "Sometimes it is." He says. "Look at you, my little peace lover." He winks at her totally amused.

She narrows her eyes at him. "I just don't understand why you have to kill… and torture, so many, especially when they're wizards and witches, because how are you making the world better for them if you're killing them."

He sighs loudly. "Some times you have to shed blood before you can make change. The muggle lovers like Dumbledore think we should bow down to the foul creatures and hide what we are. We shouldn't have to do that. We're the most powerful race on the planet, Isabel, we should rule the world. If I have to kill a few mudbloods along the way to that I don't mind."

She scowls at his answer and faces the fire again. The past few days he's requested that she constantly be by his side. She doesn't know why she has to be by him while he reads or talks to his followers. It's pretty boring actually so she finally broke down and tried to have a conversation with him. He's so prejudice that it's barely worth it.

"What's with the face, kitten? Do you not agree with me?"

"No, I don't." He cocks his head to the side so she elaborates. "I don't think you should have to fight a war with your own kind just to 'liberate' us magical people. I think it runs deeper then that for you."

"Whatever do you mean?" he asks lightly with a smirk playing on his lips.

"You just want to be in charge and you use that as a backing to reel in followers."

He smiles at her. "You may be right." He stands up so he's towering over her. "but I don't need to explain my motives to a silly little girl like you." She glares at him as he puts his hands on either side of the arm chair caging her in under him. He lowers his head and kisses her lightly on the mouth. "We're going to bed." He says against her lips.

Her eyes flick to the clock on the wall. "But you said I could visit Ginny at eight."

"I lied."

He grabs her hand and walks her all the way to the bed room. She reluctantly follows with an annoyed look on her face.

"There's going to be a celebration tomorrow." He says as he closes the door behind them. "I expect you to behave and look happy for my followers."

She rolls her eyes when he's not looking. "I've become quite the actress since I've been here." She says softly.

He turns to her and gives her a warning glare. She bites her lower lip nervously under his gaze, not wanting to make him angry. She could handle it when he was mean to her but when he hurts someone else because of her it hurts her worse. He probably knows that. She takes timid steps towards him unable to look at his rough glare and gives him a shy kiss on the lips.

"Sorry," she mumbles when she pulls back.

"You say that so often I hardly believe you mean it." He says to her while unbuttoning his shirt.

"At least I'm able to apologize." She counters unable to hold back her temper.

He smirks at her. "Are you trying to hint towards something?" he asks.

She puts her hands on her hips and straightens her shoulders. "Yes, you are such a…" his eyes flash red and she backs down unable to call him the bad name she was planning on. She turns away from him and stomps towards the bed.

"What am I?" he asks her with a voice laced in malice. She doesn't answer so he walks over to her and forces her to look at him. He grabs her chin. "Why don't you finish that sentence?"

She tries to move her head but he tightens his grip. "Why are you so mean!?"

He starts laughing a humorless laugh. "Oh, my lovely little Isabel… You haven't seen the mean side of me yet." The way he says that makes her shiver. He studies her face with his head cocked to the side. "We could always change that if you'd like."

She shakes her head no to show she doesn't want that and it makes him smile. "Good," he says. "Now get on the bed."

X

"Don't look at him again."

"Who?"

Tom nearly growls and he digs his fingers into her thigh causing her to wince. "You know very well who I mean and if you look at him again I'll have his handsome face torn off. Then you can explain to his parents why it happened."

Isabel takes her eyes off of the cute dark haired boy and stares at her shoes. She's been watching the younger guy as soon as he came into the ballroom. He looks like someone she used to know but Tom caught sight of her quizzical stare and immediately jumped to the wrong conclusions.

"Do we have to sit here all night?" she asks trying to change the topic of conversation.

They've been sitting on two throne-like chairs at the end of the hall watching everyone else have a good time. Every once in a while someone will come up to talk to Tom and congratulate him but mostly he's been watching everyone with a smug expression on his face as he drinks wine from a golden goblet.

"What would you rather do?" he asks while looking at the dancing couples in front of them.

She shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know… dance?"

He snorts into his glass. "Right." He says sarcastically. He's only ever danced once in his life and that was with her at Hogwarts right before he killed her boyfriend and staged her death.

She sighs loudly and puts her chin in her propped up hand. "Can I dance with someone else then if you won't?" she asks quietly.

He shoots a glare at her. "We both know the answer to that."

"My Lord." A middle aged woman with brown hair bows her head and bends her waist towards Tom.

He takes his glittering eyes off Isabel and turns to the woman before him. "Mrs. Parkinson." He greets her with a cool detachment.

She stares at the floor not meeting his eyes. "Congratulations on your fantastic victory against the Order of the Phoenix." She says with a smile and he waves a hand to show he heard her as he looks over her head obviously bored. He's so rude Isabel thinks to herself. "My Lord if I may?"

"What?" he snaps annoyed that she hasn't left yet.

"My daughter Pansy and some other girls her age are going to retire to the other room."

He raises an eyebrow. "Why do I care?" Isabel rolls her eyes at his cold behavior. Why do these people listen to him if he's so mean to them?

"W-well My Lord, I thought your Lady would like to spend time with girls her own age for a while." She says.

Isabel's blue eyes light up and she sets up a little straighter. She had watched the teenage girls all night with a sort of envy in her eyes. At seventeen she's been forced into this adult world and she longs to be around people like her again, like back at Hogwarts. She turns to Tom who's staring down at the older woman with an unreadable expression. Then he narrows his eyes. He's going to say no! Isabel looks at him pleadingly and places her hand on top of his. She knows he wouldn't like it if she said she wanted to go out right but if he allowed her to then that would be wonderful. He sends her a heated look and then looks back at the woman before them.

"Do you not think I am entertainment enough?" he asks Mrs. Parkinson snidely.

Isabel's heart drops. He's not going to let her go…

Her face flushes. "Oh, no no of course not! That's not what I meant, My Lord. You are wonderful company."

"Then why would you suggest that my wife lower herself and spend time with a gang of adolescent giggling girls when she's sitting by my side." His voice becomes colder with every word but Isabel only heard the word wife… Was she his wife? He never actually called her that before. Tom's angry voice brings her out of her thoughts. "Go away and never suggest such an insulting thing to me again."

The woman bows again and the retreats in almost a run. Isabel lets go of his hand and crosses her arms. "I want to go to my room." She says.

"Not yet." He signals for a refill of his goblet and relaxes back into his chair.

She wishes she could slap him. "Why do I have to stay here?"

"We're celebrating." He says flatly.

"Yes it's quite the party." She says sarcastically. "and I'm not your wife." She adds as an afterthought.

A smirk grazes his face and he leans over towards her. "Now, whatever gave you that idea, love?"

"You never asked me and I'm not wearing a ring."

"Those are trivial things… but I could get you a ring if you really wanted one." he laughs at her annoyed face. "Come now, what did you think that bonding ritual was for? We've been living as man and wife for a while now… or did you think that's how all people lived?" He gives her a lustful wink.

She looks him straight in the eyes. "I don't like you very much."

This time he laughs out loud. "You wouldn't be the first." With a huff she turns her head and doesn't notice him frown at the end of his sentence.

The room becomes hotter and louder as more people drink and move around the floor. Isabel fans herself with her hands but then gives up and slumps against the back of the chair. She's starting to sweat and get uncomfortable and the heavy dress she's wearing is doing nothing to help her situation.

"Can I go outside for a moment?" she asks him in her sweetest voice possible.

He eyes her suspiciously up in down, taking in her flushed cheeks and the light sheen of sweat of her forehead. He looks down at his watch. "I'll give you five minutes." He says. She smiles in relief and stands to go but stops when he grabs her wrist. "If you're not back in time I will come and find you." He says calmly with a voice laced in a threat.

She nods her head to show she understands and walks towards the two large glass doors that lead to a balcony. When she opens the doors she closes her eyes as the cool air wipes across her face, cooling her red cheeks. She takes in a deep breath and walks toward the railing where she places her hands and looks out across the grounds that's lit by the pale moon light.

Footsteps come up behind her and she closes her eyes. "It hasn't been five minutes." She says thinking its Tom.

"What do you mean?" asks another youthful voice.

She turns around and is face to face with the dark boy she had gotten in trouble for staring at earlier. "Oh," she says nervously. "I'm sorry I thought you were someone else." She makes to walk past him but he blocks her.

"What's your name?" he asks her quietly. She looks up at him. Shouldn't he know her name? She's been with his leader after all. He smiles as if he read her mind. "I only know to call you My Lady, so I was wondering what your real name was."

"It's Isabel." She says and then studies him again.. he does look like someone familiar. "Who are you?"

He holds out his hand. "Blaise Zabini." He says.

She takes his hand timidly and he kisses it causing her to blush. "Are you related to Quintan Zabini?" she asks while snatching her hand back.

He smiles again flashing perfectly white teeth. "He was my grandfather." He says proudly. "How did you know him?"

I went to school with him, she says in her head but not out loud. "I should get back." She says not wanting to give Tom a reason to be angry… he's always so angry all the time. It must be exhausting.

"Wait." He says with a hand on her shoulder. "I wanted to talk to you."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Fine, but I have to tell you something." He says slowly. He bends down so that his lips are by her ear. "I was there that night," he says huskily. "In the bonding room… I saw you, all of you…and I haven't been able to think of anything else."

She flushes red all over her body, so he's seen her naked. She's about to say something when the glass doors bang open.

"What are you doing?" asks Tom coldly from the doorway.

"I was just coming inside." She says and walks away from Blaise who is standing much too close to her.

Tom glares at her and then turns to Blaise. "And you?" he asks. "What were you doing?"

He bows down. "Just talking, My Lord."

Tom gives him an unpleasant smile. The stupidity of youth he thinks to himself. He then looks the younger boy directly in the eyes to search his mind… He doesn't like what he sees. He shouldn't be thinking those type of thoughts about someone who belongs to him.

Isabel watches as Blaise scrunches up his face in pain while Tom glares at him intently. What's he doing? The boy falls to his knees after a while and Tom shakes himself out of the weird daze he was in. His eyes are flaming scarlet as they rest on her.

"Go to your room. I'll deal with you later." He tells her

Thoroughly confused about what's going on she walks past him and quickly goes to her room. She doesn't hear Tom curse Blaise, nor does she hear Blaise scream.


	7. Chapter 7

Tom enters the bed room and glares at Isabel. "I leave you alone for one minute and look what happens." He says snidely as he closes the door.

She stands up from the bed. "You're not mad at me are you?" she asks nervously. It wasn't her fault that that other guy decided to talk to her.

He smiles a very unpleasant smile. "Did you like that the boy you'd been staring at all night found you so attractive?" he asks pleasantly, which is actually more terrifying then him yelling.

She shakes her head no quickly. "I thought he looked like Quinten…." She says trailing off. Tom should know who he is anyways; it was one of his housemates.

With two steps Tom is in front of her, her wrists in his hands. "Would you like to know what he was thinking about? What young Mr. Zabini was planning on doing to your body." He hisses hatefully as his eyes rake up and down her form.

Isabel gulps loudly. "No, Sir."

He smirks at her for using the word sir to address him. She's nervous now and doesn't know what else to do. "Are you sure?" he asks softly. "I could go into graphic detail."

She shakes her head and winces when his hands tighten. "I don't want to know."

"And why not?"

She takes a deep breath and looks into his eyes. "Because I belong to you." She says hoping that that answer will please him.

It does. He loosens his grip and studies her face. "You would do well never to forget that fact."

How could I? "I won't." she says.

"Good." He kisses her. "If only Zabini tasted as sweet as you. I'm sure his fate would have been drastically different." He says cryptically against her lips.

She almost doesn't want to know but curiosity gets the better of her. "What do you mean?" she asks as he spins her around and unties the back of her dress.

"You'll find out tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?" she asks him over her shoulder as he kisses her back.

"My coronation." He smirks against her skin knowing the next question.

"I don't understand." She says as she turns around to face him. "Coronation?"

He grabs her chin and kisses her hard on the mouth. "I'm starting a wizarding dynasty."

X

"He's going to make himself king?" asks Ginny as they walk through the garden.

"Yes," answers Isabel. "The coronation is this afternoon. There's never been any royalty in the wizarding world. I wonder why he wants that."

Ginny shrugs. "It's not so hard to wonder why. He's a megalomaniac."

"He said he wanted to start dynasty… he can't mean…"

"That he wants a family?" Ginny finishes for her. "Can he even have children?"

"I have no idea. He's 'died' so many times and that's really not his original body, even though it looks like it. I'm not even sure if I can bare children considering I was buried alive for nearly fifty years."

She looks off into the distance troubled by the idea of carrying the Dark Lord's heir. Ginny puts her arm around her shoulders. "Let's hope that you're both infertile."

They both laugh and sit down on the tree swing. "Oh, I wish you could come with us today." Says Isabel as she brings a flower up to her nose and inhales the scent. "I hate being around his followers."

"They would murder me if I was there." Says Ginny honestly. "A bloodtraitor would not be welcome to the Dark Lords coronation."

Isabel smirks. "It's funny that the Dark Lord is married to one then, isn't it?" she throws the flower at the other girl.

"My Lady."

They both turn there heads to look at Bellatrix LeStrange. There's an unpleasant look on her face and she's staring daggers at both of the girls on the swing.

"Yes?" says Isabel, willing her voice not to tremble. This other woman scares the hell out of her.

Bella eyes her distastefully. "The Dark Lord has sent me to get you. You have to be ready to leave for the ceremony in an hour." She says hatefully. Obviously annoyed that this is her job.

"Alright then." Says Isabel as she hops off the swing, avoiding looking at Bellatrix. Ginny gets off as well and they start walking towards the castle.

"What do you think you're doing?" the older woman hisses as she grabs a hold of Ginny's arm. Isabel turns around to see what's happening. "You have to walk three paces behind us at all times, you stupid blood traitor." She snaps at Ginny as she throws her down on the ground.

"Hey!" yells Isabel as she storms over to them. "Don't speak to her like that."

Bella eyes her spitefully. "I can speak to her however I want." She says dangerously.

"It's ok..." says Ginny as she attempts to stand up but Bellatrix cuts her off by pointing her wand at her.

"No one gave you permission to speak!" she screams, almost hysterically.

"Stop!" says Isabell as she tries to grab the woman's wand. "Stop this right now. You have no right to talk to her like that."

"I don't take orders from a whiney little girl like you." She says and pushes Isabel.

She goes stumbling back and falls on the ground. She watches stunned, as Bellatrix aims her wand and cruicio's Ginny's body. She starts screaming and Bella starts laughing. Isabel charges the older woman and tackles her to the ground. Her wand goes flying to the side but she's stronger then Isabel so she is able to get the upper hand. They struggle with one another for a few moments before Bella sits up and punches Isabel in the face. They both freeze as blood starts to pour down from her nose.

Bella looks shocked, what she just did finally is registering with her. Isabel stands up and touches her hand to her face. She pulls back and sees her whole hand is covered in blood. Her eyes snap to the older woman who is still sitting on the ground, looking totally dumbfounded.

Isabel picks up the discarded wand and helps Ginny to her feet in silence. They start walking towards the castle again. Bellatrix starts to say something but Isabel turns around quickly and cuts her off.

"I'm telling on you." She says hatefully and Bella shudders. She may be a whiney little girl, but that whiney little girl is married to Lord Voldemort.

X

"What the fuck happened to your face?" asks Tom as he sees Isabel enter his office.

"You sent that evil woman out to find me!" she yells loudly as blood and tears mingle together on her face.

Tom narrows his eyes and sets his jaw. "Bellatrix did this to you?" Isabel's response is to throw the others woman's wand on the ground before him. He picks it up. "She'll be punished." He promises as his eyes turn red and he steps in front of her.

"She tortured Ginny for no reason, as well." She adds as she looks down at her dress and notices all the blood. Her lip starts to tremble as her anger fades away and the pain replaces it. She looks down at her hands that are covered in blood and then back up to him. "T-Tom." She stutters forgetting to address him properly because of her pounding headache. She runs into his arms. "My head hurts."

She hugs him tight, getting blood all over his clothes as she sobs into his neck. If he's mad about what she called him, he doesn't show it. "It's okay." He says as he pulls her back and brings out his wand. "I can heal you."

He mutters a spell and her nose sets back into to place, another spell and the blood is gone. "Thank you." She says quietly as she wipes away some tears and hugs him again. It feels good to be held by someone after being hurt. Even if it is him.

"Go get ready." He tells her after a few moments. "I have some business to deal with." His voice turns harsh and she knows what that business is.

X

""Master, forgive me. I lost my head." Says Bellatrix as she throws her self at Voldemort's feet.

"Yes, I'd say you did." He says calmly as he plays with her wand between his fingers. "Now, tell me. What made you think you had any right to break her nose? You do know who I'm referring to, don't you?"

She nods her head and watches him fearfully. "I was trying to put the blood-traitor in her place… but she got in my way. It was an accident."

"Was it?"

""Yes, My Lord. You must forgive my foolishness."

"Must I?" He eyes her curiously. "It was a great show of disrespect to me, what you did today." He looks at his watch. "Luckily for you I must be going. Hopefully Isabel is more forgiving because she will be deciding your punishment." He goes to the cell door and sends a hex over his shoulder. "You really should have been more civil towards her, Bella." He says as she screams.

X

"Are you going to get a crown?" She asks him quietly as Lucius Malfoy gives a speech to the thousands of witches and wizards who have gathered around the stage in front of the ministry.

He looks at her and smirks. "Something like that." He says as he takes her hand and runs his thumb over her knuckles.

They're sitting on two silver thrones as the sun beats down upon them. Cloaked Death Eaters surround the stage with their wands at the ready in case things get too out of hand. Isabel chances a look around the crowd and immediately wishes she didn't. There are too many people and they are all looking at her and Tom. She sees a badly scarred Death Eater to her right. His facial features are barely distinguishable through the thick layers of scar tissue. It's hideous to look at. On close inspection she realizes who it is… Blaise Zabini. She almost becomes sick and has to look down at her lap to calm her stomach.

Tom squeezes her hand to make her pay attention. "I'm nervous." She whispers as an explanation. She looks forward, without seeing anything.

She feels him bring her hand up to his lips and he kisses the back of her hand. "Don't be." Is all he says and then he drops her hand from his.

Lucius says something and everyone cheers. Tom stands up and walks to the front of the podium, his dark cloak swirling around him as his black hair shines in the sun. The crowd grows silent as he starts to speak. He talks about the new world he wants to create that will help forward the wizarding world in the right direction. His voice is strong and commanding, leaving no room for question. For every promise he makes, a silent threat laces through his voice and she's sure she can see the audience shudder.

Isabel withdrawals more in her chair, slouching her shoulders and leaning further back. She's feeling weaker and more scared with out Tom by her side and she's trying desperately not to look at Zabini. She looks into the crowd again and sees small children on the shoulders of their fathers looking up at Tom with awe in their small eyes. Old men and woman nod their heads approvingly at his speech and young girls swoon. This is terrible; she thinks to herself, they are buying right into whatever he says.

She looks to her left and quickly gives the figure she sees a second glance. Someone with a small body and dark brown cloak is looking right at her. The hood is up obscuring the face and Isabel squints her eyes to get a better look. A small hand comes up and pulls the hood back a little. Hermione?

Her head snaps back to Tom when the crowd rowers loudly again. He's standing with his back perfectly straight as he takes a silver crown off a deep purple pillow that a small, rough looking man is holding beside him. She gets a better look at it as he holds it up to the crowd. Emeralds and small snakes intertwine together, forming the circle in an intricate design. It fits perfectly as it settles on his dark hair. The crowd falls to their knees in adoration or fear. She can't decide which one.

She watches, barely able to breathe as this unfolds before her. Tom turns around and extends his hand for her to take. With out much thought she takes it and is pulled from her chair. He puts his arm around her waist so she doesn't fall from nerves and he sends her quick glance before turning back to the crowd. She vaguely hears in him introduce her and say something along the lines of 'respect' and 'wife', but she is way too nervous to pay attention. Everything is a blur until she comes back into focus when they reach the castle again.

"That wasn't so bad, now was it?" he asks her as they stand in the main hall.

Her knees are still shaking as she looks up him. The crown is still on his head, distracting her. "What's the purpose of that?" she asks him, genuinely curious.

He smiles. "Besides being symbolic?" he grabs her hand and starts leading her down the hall. "It blocks my mind from any intruders and has spell protection charms." He doesn't say any more as he drags her to the dungeons.

They are almost at the door when Isabel stops and pulls her hand back. "Did I do something wrong?" she asks fearfully as she eyes the dungeon door. Why is he taking her here?

He laughs. "No, I have a surprise for you."

She's still unsure and shaking as he opens the door. She bites her lip as she follows him down the dingy, dirty, hallway. When they reach the end of the hall he stops and with a wave of his wand the cell door to the right opens and he walks in.

"Master." It's Bellatrix. She scurries to Tom and kisses the hem of his robes.

He ignores her and turns to Isabel. "Come here."

When she reaches him he turns her so that her back is pressing into his chest and their both facing Bellatrix. The older woman is still on the ground, looking at the two of them with wide eyes.

"What do you think would be a good punishment for Mrs. Lestrange?" he asks lightly in her ear.

"I don't know." She answers honestly as she takes in the frightened eyes of the other woman. There is an unpleasant feeling pooling at the pit of her stomach.

"Come on," he urges seductively in her ear. "She deserves something for the way she treated you."

She turns her head to the side so she can see him; she can't turn her body due to his hand holding her in place around her midsection. "You know I can't make that decision." She says quietly and faces forward. Bellatrix visibly relaxes.

"You can, and you will." He says with a slight edge to his voice. She feels something cold pressed into her right hand. She looks down, it's his wand. "We don't tolerate disrespect, Isabel." He hisses in her ear. "Cruicio will work well."

He lifts her arm so the wand is pointed at Bellatrix. "I can't do this." She says desperately. "Please, don't make me do this."

"Yes, you know the spell. Now do it." This was not a good surprise. Her hand starts to shake so Tom clamps his hand over to hers to secure his wand. "I can help you." He says against her neck. "Crucio."

The wand explodes with magical energy and jet of light hits Bellatrix in the chest. She starts flopping around like a fish out of water and the screams are nearly deafening. The sensation is strange to Isabel. She and Tom are both holding his wand so she can feel the magic flowing through her, but it's not her own. It's an amazing feeling to have someone else's power, especially Tom's, playing through you. It's addicting and as she watches the older woman coil in pain on the floor there's a strange fascination in her eyes. Control, having complete control over something entirely is amazing. She feels his warm lips on her skin and his breathing becomes heavier as he pulls her tighter against him.

He doesn't lift the spell as he begins to suck the pulse point on her neck. His other hand creeps up to her breast and despite the morbid situation and the disgusting circumstances she moans and arches into his touch.

"Power is intoxicating, isn't it?" he asks huskily.

She turns her head to look at him. There's a mad red gleam in his eyes and his dark hair falls along his forehead where his crown had pressed it down. His pale skin is flushed with excitement and his arousal is pressing into her back making her suck in a breath. He wets his lips as he stares at hers. He's so sinfully attractive. She captures his lips with her own in a deep kiss over her shoulder, he smirks. Bellatrix is unconscious on the floor when Tom, finally, lifts the curse. He turns Isabel around and pins her to the wall. After removing the necessary articles of clothing he lifts her up, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist.

They make violent love against the stone wall in the dungeons with Bellatrix Lestrange passed out at their feet. As she looks into his eyes she realizes that he has successfully manipulated her and she should hate him… but for some reason she can't find it in herself to care. She screams out his name when she cums, but he doesn't punish her for it. He drops his head to her shoulder, breathing heavily onto her skin, when he finishes.

"That was amazing." She says recklessly, still high from the power, his power, and he quickly lifts his head to look at her. She tiredly runs her fingers through the hair by the nap of his neck and gives him a slow smile.

He carefully sets her down to her feet. "Did you like it?" he asks her and his voice sounds strange and light, even to himself.

She nods her head and closes her eyes, resting against his chest. Tom carries her to bed and lets her sleep away the rest of the day, ignoring the strange looks he's getting from his Death Eaters. When he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror he realizes that he's smiling, smiling in a way he never had before. Things are going perfectly for him, for the first time in his life.

X


	8. Chapter 8

"I talked to him about your mother." Isabel says as lays down beside Ginny in the grass.

"What did he say?" Ginny asks hopefully, throwing a blade of grass she had in her hands away from her.

She looks away from her friend. "He said that you could visit her tomorrow."

"But he's not going to let her out?"

Isabel shakes her head sadly. "Not yet."

Ginny stands up. "Why the hell not!? He's not gaining anything by keeping a middle aged, sick woman locked in a dungeon."

Isabel sits up and stares at Ginny. "I know… I don't know why he does it. Maybe to keep us in line?"

"Us in line!? I can't do anything but stay locked in a room all day until you come and decide to play with me!"

"Ginny…"

"No, don't Ginny me! Not only am I just a toy for you but I also have to feel his wrath when you piss him off." She puts her hands on her hips. "You've got it made here. Being Voldemort's whore, you don't have to worry about anything , do you!?"

Isabel stands up with a fierce look in her blue eyes. "How can you say that to me?"

"My entire family is dead, because of you. My mother is rotting inside of a cold cell because of you. My life is ruined!"

"And you don't think mine isn't!" she shouts back. "My entire family is dead too. At least you know your mother is alive! Mine is dead! In fact just about everyone I know or ever loved is dead and lost to me. Do you want to know why? Because I was buried in a fucking coffin since 1943. The only person I know is Tom! So don't you dare speak to me like that." Her voice softens. "I'm just as much a prisoner as you."

"Or what? Are you going to have me tortured, My Lady?" she says snidely. "I haven't been Cruicio'd in nearly a week. I am long over due."

"Stop it! You have no idea what I have to go through."

"Harry was killed by the same man you sleep with every night!" she shouts with tears streaming down her face.

"Do you actually think I have any choice in the matter?" she replies, trying to calm down her anger. "You forget he killed the man I loved too."

They stare at each other for a few moments. Neither on of them backs down. "Every thing was so much easier before I met you." Says Ginny softly.

Isabel fights down the tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry my existence is such an inconvenience for you." She turns to walk away. "You know I didn't ask for this."

She walks away and Ginny sits on the ground and cries.

X

Isabel lifts her leg and watches the water run down her smooth skin. She had hoped that a bath would calm her down, but it really didn't. Her mind keeps on going over the fight she had earlier with Ginny. She had already felt guilty, but this just brought it to a whole new level. It's not fair! She's only a young girl, she should be finishing school and hanging out with her friends…. Not whatever she's doing here in this twisted castle.

She dunks her head underwater and holds her breath. 'you can drown yourself in the tub as many times as you want' Tom had said to her. She can't die. She'll never be free of this existence. She resurfaces and screams, covering her body the best she can.

"Relax," he says. "It's only me." she focuses her eyes on him, it's Tom.

She brings her hand up to the locket around her neck and clutches it, breathing heavily in and out. "Goodness, you scared me."

He laughs at her and she glares. "I do have that affect on people."

Now she rolls her eyes at him. "What did you want?" she snaps.

He raises an eyebrow. "You still must be in shock… because I know you're not talking that way to me." He says dangerously and she gulps. No matter how nice he can be to her he's still the Dark Lord.

"I'm sorry. You're right." She says while looking down at the water. She really does say that much too often. "Did you want something?" she asks a little more pleasantly.

"Did you even notice that I came back early from my meeting?" he asks her as he leans against the porcelain sink.

She gives him a strange look. Where's he going with this? "No… I didn't." she says slowly.

He watches her for a few moments and then shrugs his shoulders. "No matter," he says and then focuses his gaze on her eyes. "I've brought a Medi-Wizard with me. He's going to do a check up on you." He tells her as he grabs a towel and makes a motion for her to get up.

She stands up and blushes when his eyes rake over her. She takes the towel from him and wraps herself in it. "Why do I need a check up?" she asks curiously.

"I want to have children." He tells her casually but she feels like she's been hit with a ton of bricks.

"but why?"

"I told you I wanted to start a dynasty." Her face screws up in confusion and again he laughs at her. "You do know what that means, don't you?"

"Yes, I know what that means." She snaps. "I just… well I don't understand why you want to do that."

"Why wouldn't I?" he asks her as he leads her into the bedroom.

"You said that we can't die… Why do you want children…"

"I don't need to explain myself to you." He says sharply and she pouts. She hates it when he cuts her off like that.

"If you have children," she says, leaving herself out of it. "Will you outlive them? If you want a dynasty does that mean that you don't want to rule forever…"

He gives her a pointed look and she doesn't ask him anymore questions. A second later the door opens and an old man comes into the room. He has bushy grey hair and thick black spectacles. The wrinkles on his face look like valleys and he grins broadly at her. She tightens the towel around her body and steps behind Tom.

"Ah, Mr. Jenkins." He turns around and looks at Isabel amused. "This is your Medi-Wizard, darling." He says in a fake sweet voice.

She looks at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Why him?" she asks as she watches the older man put his bag down and start taking out weird looking instruments from it.

"He's the only man I'd allow touch you… and he's the most knowledgeable in his field."

She frowns. "Couldn't you get a woman?" she says nervously as he pulls out a long metal looking thing that looks like a torture device.

"Not many people would know how to handle a case like yours." He tells her and she knows he's referring to the fact that she was frozen in time for so many years and the locket around her neck. Isabel watches with horror in her eyes as the medi-wizard transfigures the bed into a smaller cot with strange looking leg stirrups at the end. He hands Tom a white gown for her to put on.

"My Lord, I am ready to see your lady." Says Mr. Jenkins as he puts on a pair of rubber gloves.

She takes a fearful step back as Tom hands her the clothes. "Go on then." He tells her. She walks into the bathroom and puts the short gown on her body. Fearfully, she walks into the room and sees Tom standing by the bed with his arms crossed.

"Lay down, dear." says the old man as he pats the bed. She gulps loudly and looks to Tom for help.

He nods his head at her and she hesitantly sits on the bed, with her feet dangling off the end. "You have to put your feet up in these." He tells her as he pats the metal stirrups.

She inhales deeply and turns her body to face him, but she doesn't put her legs up. "Um, why do I have to do that?" she asks.

He gives her a reassuring smile. "I just have to check and make sure every thing is working well down there." He says and looks at the area between her legs.

"Down…" her eyes follow his and she blushes crimson. "…Oh" She tugs the little gown a little further down her legs to cover up. "I don't know about this." She says to no one in particular. Mortification flames her cheeks and she can't bring herself to look at Tom who she is sure is smirking right now.

The Medi-wizard notices her blush and turns to Tom. "My Lord, perhaps it would be best if you left the room…." He says as nicely as possible and Tom unfolds his arms and stands a little straighter, obviously annoyed. "The lady may like some privacy."

She chances a glace at him through the corner of her eye. "Don't worry Doctor. I am well acquainted with everything she has down there." He says suggestively, making Isabel want to die from embarrassment.

"Will you please leave the room." She asks him pleadingly from her spot on the bed. She doesn't know what this man is going to do but she sure as hell knows she doesn't want Tom in the room when it happens.

He looks angry with being told to leave but relaxes a bit when she looks at him with her blue eyes that are begging him. "Fine," he snaps. "I'll wait outside."

She watches him leave and when the door is shut she fearfully opens her legs. She keeps her eyes shut tight the whole time, answering all the questions he asks her, and breathes a sigh of relief when she is finally told she can get dressed. She hops off the bed and rushes into the bathroom. She can hear the Medi-Wizard talking to Tom on the other side of the door.

"So?" drawls Tom.

" Everything is fine… the magic in the locket and the potion she was given haven't interfered with her minstrel cycle." She swears she can hear Tom scowl at that and it's her turn to smirk. "She is perfectly able to bear children for you, My Lord."

Her jaw drops at that and she leans against the wall for support. She doesn't want to have his children. Tom says he'll see him out and she hears their retreating footsteps. Isabel is thankful that she'll be alone for a while so, after getting dressed, she opens the door and lays down on the bed, trying not to feel violated by her strange check up. She doesn't know that Tom killed Mr. Jenkins before he could leave the castle. No other man alive can ever say they'd been inside of her but him.

X

He comes back into the room and she sits up on the bed. "Are you pleased?" she asks him as he takes a seat by the window.

"Very much so." He says as he crosses his legs.

She watches him for a few moments as he flips through a book she had left on the table. "So…" she starts and he lifts his head to her. "are you able to have children?" she asks. She really wants to know if he can.

He smirks at her. "Of course." He says smugly and she furrows her brow at him.

"But how… that's not even your real body."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it isn't"

He glares at her for talking back to him. "You know very little about dark magic, Isabel."

"Explain it to me then." She says as she gets up on her knees and holds on to the bed railing. "I want to know."

He eyes her for a few moments. "You ask too many questions." She plops down on the bed again. He's not going to tell her so there's no use in trying. "One of my guards said they found Ginny Weasley wailing in the garden earlier today." He says lightly as his attention focuses back on the book in his lap.

"Yes, I imagine they did." She says a little bitterly, still sore about the things that were said.

"I wonder why she was crying so hysterically…" he says, expecting an answer from her.

"Probably because we had a row." She tells him as she slumps back onto the mattress.

"About?"

"It doesn't matter." She says as she maneuvers herself so she can lay properly on the pillows.

"I don't like it when people keep things from me." He says with a slight warning in his voice. "You should know that by now."

She sighs and closes her eyes. "She was just frustrated over her situation and we both said mean things to each other."

She feels his presence beside her on the bed as the mattress sinks down. "And what was said?" he asks her and his fingers trace the skin on her arm.

"She was mad about her mother still being locked away… and she blamed me for just about everything that was wrong in her life."

"Did she?" he asks seductively as his hands move to the strap of her dress and pushes it down. Her breath hitches but she doesn't open her eyes.

"Yes, she did."

"And what did you say to that?"

She smirks. "I blamed you."

He laughs and brings his mouth down to her shoulder. He starts placing slow kisses along her skin. He situates himself so that he's lying on top of her, she opens her legs to accommodate him.

He kisses her lips and she opens her eyes. "Do you want to have my children?" he asks her in a deep husky voice as he grinds his hips into her making her moan. "Hmm? Do you want me to fuck you so I can put my child inside of you?"

Should she lie? She doesn't want to bring his evil little babies into the world… but he's so handsome and he can be sweet if he tries really hard.

"Do you?" he asks again as he bites her neck.

He dips his fingers inside of her knickers and strokes her lightly. "Yes!" She says as she lifts her hips and he smirks against her skin.

She can't help but feel like everyday she's building another wall around herself in this prison, and she'll never find her way out.


	9. Chapter 9

"My wand!" Isabel jumps up and takes the piece of wood from the Death Eater's hands. "Oh, thank you!"

"The Dark Lord sent me to tell you he had to leave abruptly this morning to deal with important matters. He said that this would entertain you until his return."

She smiles while doing a simple spell, making her wand tip glow. "How long will he be gone?" she asks, her eyes never leaving her wand.

"He doesn't know yet, but he will send you an owl when he finds out." She nods her head at the older man. "He also wanted me to inform you that your wand is a special gift that he was so kind to bestow upon you and stresses not to abuse the privilege."

She frowns at the warning laced in his words but smiles when she looks at him. "Thank you, Avery."

The Death Eater bows his head and retreats from the room. After a few more simple spells Isabel stands up and looks around the room. No Tom? What will she do with herself now without him here?

She leaves the room and starts walking down the twisted hallways of the castle, whistling an old song from her time. She notices an old man walking down the opposite side of the hallway, wearing a dark green cloak.

"Octavian." She greets him as he walks by her.

The man stops and bows his head. "My Lady." He says and then straightens up. "What brings you to this end of the castle?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "I was just walking." She looks him over. "What are you doing?"

"The same as you, I'm afraid." He says and smiles kindly at her. He was always nice to her. "I've been sitting for too long and needed to stretch my legs.

She smiles at him. "Do you care if I join you?"

"Not at all." He answers and they begin walking together.

Octavian Mulciber is one of the only Death Eater's that Isabel knows personally. He went to Hogwarts with her and Tom and was one of his first followers. He's very old but regal looking in his appearance. He has pure white hair that he wears in a short, clean cut. He always stands tall and his dark eyes are still as fierce as they were when he was younger. When she was with Tom in school he was the only one of his 'followers' that she could stand. He was never mean to her like the others and whenever he was ordered to follow her he actually talked to her, instead of scowling at her from the shadows. He was a sort of friend. Now he stays in the castle as Tom's strategist most of the time.

"Do you know where Tom had to go?" she asks him as they walk out side in the sun.

"You shouldn't call him that." He says nervously as he looks around, acting as though the Dark Lord will jump out and hex them for saying that. It's strange seeing him act this way since he is so old…

Isabel looks at her shoes. "I know. I just forget some times… but do you know where he went?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that. I'm sorry."

She nods and they walk in a comfortable silence for a while. They're making their way around the garden wall when she breaks the silence.

"Did you know?" she asks him, looking a head of her.

"Did I know what?" he asks with his hands behind his back.

"Did you know what he was going to do to me that night?" she says.

He cocks his head to the side. "What night?"

"That night at Hogwarts… the dance… "

"Oh," he says and he is quiet for a long time. "The Dark Lord never fully discusses his personal plans with anyone." He says as he picks a flower from the garden.

She frowns, knowing he's telling the truth. As she looks up to the sky she wonders why he took so long to get her in the first place. What was he doing all of those years with out her? She decides to voice her question out loud to one of the only people who can answer her.

"Octavian?" she says sweetly.

"Hmm?"

"I don't understand why he had to keep me away for so long." She says looking into his dark eyes earnestly. "Why didn't he want me with him earlier?"

He watches her for a few moments. "I don't know…" he says truthfully. He smiles warmly at her. "But I'm glad you're here now. I like you much better then his other women."

Her face drops immediately. "What other women?" she asks suspiciously, feeling angry and oddly betrayed.

"I need to be getting back." He says, looking back to the castle. "I have much more work to do." He hands her the flower and she narrows her eyes at him.

With that he leaves her, not waiting for her to speak. She watches him retreat, which is much faster then a man of eighty should be able to, with narrowed eyes. What other women was he talking about? Women, as in plural, as in more then one? She feels a scowl on her face as she stomps back to the castle.

X

"You're on time. I'm surprised." Smirks Tom from his chair.

Isabel sinks to the seat beside him. "I've only been late twice." She says tightly. She hasn't seen him in a week, so she has been left to fume about the "women" comment Octavian made. She can't figure out why she cares so much.

"What? No kiss?" he asks, amused. "Didn't you miss me?"

She chooses to not answer his questions. "Where did you go?" she asks instead.

He begins eating. "I was in France."

"Why were you in France?"

He smiles. "One nation at a time." Is all he says.

They eat in silence. When both are finished Tom stands up to leave. "Wait." She says and he looks down at her.

"Yes?"

She starts to chew on her bottom lip nervously and when Tom sees that he raises an eyebrow. She lowers her head to look at her empty plate, her courage now gone. "Never mind." She says quietly.

She feels his hand on her shoulder and she looks up to him. "Come with me."

She follows him to his study. She's confused by this, thinking he was going to take her to their bedroom… because usually that's all they do when he's around. He walks up to his desk where there's a map laid out showing most of Europe. He pulls her in front of him, with her back pressing into his chest so they can look down at his desk.

"This is were my armies are right now." He says as he brings his hand around her body and points to France and Germany. "I expect for them to surrender in the following months."

She looks down at the map curiously. "Do you still have much opposition?" she asks.

"Not really," he answers. He rests his chin on her shoulder and places an arm around her stomach. "Mostly I have to deal with small rebellions… Russia, Sweden, Poland, and all of these countries." He makes a movement with his hand that covers most of Europe. "Have already aligned themselves with me."

"Wow," she says generally impressed. He really does control a lot of people.

She can feel him smile against her neck. "I will own the world soon." He says seriously.

"And what will you do with it?"

He smirks. "Whatever I want."

"Are you only reaching for the wizarding world? When will you reveal yourself to the muggles?"

"When the time is right." He says as he tightens an arm around her waist, pulling her back closer to his chest.

"What will happen to them?" she asks concerned as she looks down at the map. All those countries hold so many people who will soon be at his mercy.

"My followers and I will put them where they belong." His voice is close to her ear and it makes her shiver. "Underneath wizards and witches."

She doesn't ask him about muggle-borns or others of a different blood status. She fears what his answer will be. He turns her around and lifts her so she's sitting on the desk.

"Aren't you going to thank me for allowing you to have your wand?" he asks with his hands on her thighs.

She smiles at him. "Yes, thank you. I almost forgot how good it felt to do magic."

He smiles back. "We can't have the Dark Lady acting like a squib, now can we?"

She screws her face up in disgust. "Dark Lady? That sounds a little pretentious."

"I will admit it doesn't suit you… but that's what people refer to you as." She frowns and he laughs. He brings his right hand up and threads it through her hair. The look on his face is almost affectionate as he smiles at her. "You can come with me on my next campaign if you would like."

She doesn't know if she'd like to do that, she doesn't want to see people get hurt or anything, but she hasn't left the stupid castle in such a long time…. So she smiles at him. "I'd like that."

He smiles at her and then kisses her lips. They're interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," he says irritated.

Bellatrix comes into the room and Isabel glares at her. The older woman bows her head and greets them respectably; Isabel notices her right hand is shaking uncontrollably with a tremor. It must have been from that curse they cast on her not too long ago… she's disgusted with herself when she realizes she doesn't care.

"Well, what did you want?" snaps Tom as he steps away from Isabel who is still propped up on the desk.

"Forgive me, My Lord, but I need to speak with you about the rebels in Spain." Her dark eyes flick to Isabel's and they narrow slightly in jealousy and bitterness.

"Start talking then." He says, obviously annoyed.

Bella glares at Isabel for a few more moments before turning back to Tom. She looks at him with undying devotion and… Love? Isabel watches closely as she addressed him again.

"It would be best if we talked alone, My Lord." She says stressing the alone part.

"Bellatrix, do you think I'm an idiot?"

Fear flickers in her eyes. "Of course not!"

"Then why are you dragging this out like I am a child?"

"Forgive me, Master. I didn't mean…"

"I think she wants me to leave." Says Isabel as she hops off the desk. "I believe that's what she's hinting to."

Tom looks to her. "I'm the one who has control over who leaves and who stays." He says dangerously and both woman shudder at his tone.

Not wanting to hear about the Spanish rebels, Isabel walks close to Tom. "It's okay… I'll be in your room." She says and kisses him for good measure. She can tell he's surprised by that, he doesn't show affection in front of his followers but she felt the need to do that in front of this other woman. "I'll be there when your finished." She says suggestively, loud enough for Bella to hear.

She can almost hear the other woman growl as she walks past her.

X

She's laying down on the bed, reading a book when he enters. He watches her as he stands at the foot of the bed and unbuttons his shirt. He sits down beside her on the bed and starts untying his shoes. Isabel snaps the book shut, unable to keep silent any longer.

"Is she one of your other women?"

He stops what he's doing to look at her. "What?"

"Is Bellatrix Lestrange one of your women?"

He furrows his brow at her. "What are you talking about?" he asks her, confusion clear in his voice.

"Have you slept with her?" she asks as she sits up straighter on the bed.

"Why do you ask me such a thing?"

"Have you had sex with her?"

"Yes." He says casually and raises an eyebrow to the frown on her face. She didn't expect that to hurt so much. "Why are you asking me these questions?"

"How many others are there?" she says trying to keep the tears from coming to her eyes.

"Why do you want to know this all of a sudden?"

"I think I have the right to know!" she yells as she stands from the bed.

"I've had many women in my lifetime, Isabel, but what I do with them is none of your business." He hisses at her as he stands up as well.

She turns away from him so he won't see her cry. This is a painful conversation. "Why did you give me that potion? Why did you keep me away if you were going to carry on with others?" she says quietly.

"I don't have to explain my motives to you." He says snidely.

She feels the tears coming down her face. How can he be so mean? "If you can be with other people, why can't I?" she knows he'd never agree to that. She's just mad at him and wants to test his patience.

"Because you belong to me." He states while staring at her back.

She turns around to face him and wipes some tears with the back of her hands. "And you don't belong to me?"

He studies her face. "I don't belong to anyone… I never have and I never will."

They stare at each other for a few moments, then she nods her head. "Okay…. I'm going for a walk." She says and is surprised when he doesn't stop her.

She shuts the door and storms down the hallway. Her sadness soon turns to anger and her footsteps become louder and more persistent. What a bastard! She's not allowed to do anything, she can't go anywhere, she can't see anyone, because of him. He ruins everything! Her blind rage takes her into the dark library were she sees a figure standing by the fire place.

"Who are you?" she demands heatedly. She too upset to be nice.

The figure jumps in surprise and turns towards her, bowing low. "I'm Rabastan Lestrange."

"Lestrange." She huffs, thinking of Bellatrix. Her eyes travel over the older man in front of her. He's tall and broad with wide shoulders and a trim waist. His shaggy brown hair falls around his face and green eyes. He has a beard and mustache, he's very rugged looking.

"Can I help you with something?" he asks in a deep manly voice.

"Are you related to Bellatrix Lestrange?" she asks.

He looks uncomfortable for a few moments. "She's my sister in law."

She studies him a few moments. If Tom can have other woman she should be allowed to have other men. She doesn't really want any one else but it's the principal of the matter. She takes slow step towards him and he watches her with unreadable eyes as she brings her hands up to his chest.

"What are you doing?" he asks nervously.

She smiles at him and stands on her tippy toes to kiss him. His body automatically tenses and he grabs her wrists. "What are you doing?" he says more fiercely. "The Dark Lord will kill me if he sees this."

Again she smiles and presses her smaller body into his. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Don't you think I'm pretty?" she asks against his skin as she kisses his neck. She's rebelling now, against everything that Tom had told her.

He gulps loudly. "Yes, yes you're very pretty." He says as his hands circle her waist.

She smirks against his neck then she pulls back to kiss his lips again. This time he doesn't pull back and responds with enthusiasm. He tastes like whiskey and he smells like a man who had been working hard all day. So unlike Tom, who always smells and tastes so nice and clean. She's only ever kissed two men in her life, Tom and Samual from Hogwarts. It's interesting kissing an older man like this. One of his callused hands comes up to her face as he groans in the back of his throat.

They both pull back to catch their breath for a moment. His green eyes stare down at her and she can see the lust pouring out of them. "You are going to get me in so much trouble." He says breathlessly. She smiles and falls back on one of the couches, pulling him on top of her. "We should stop." He says between kisses.

"Do you want me?" she asks as she arches her back into him. He closes his eyes to collect himself.

"You have no idea." He says as he grounds his hips into her making her gasp. "I've had my eye on you for a while now, you know."

They begin kissing again and he breaks away to trail kisses down her neck. His hands come up to the front of her blouse and begin to undo the buttons with a desperate kind of haste. Once her bra is reveled to him he sighs and brings his hand up to play with her breasts. She closes her eyes and pretends he's Tom. She's only doing this to get back at him. Suddenly Rabastan stops touching her and she opens her eyes.

He's clutching his left fore arm with a grimace on his face. "I have to go." He tells her. She watches him as he stands up and adjusts his pants to hide his arousal. "You can't tell any one about this." He says worriedly as he rights his clothes.

"I won't."

He looks down at her and smiles. "I'm glad I met you today, my lady." He says and kisses her lips before he bows and leaves the room.

She falls against the cushions and buttons her shirt. She begins chewing on her fingernails nervously. Luckily it didn't go any farther, she thinks to herself. Her anger has ebbed away and is slowly being replaced with guilt… but if Tom doesn't feel guilty then she shouldn't either.

X

She's woken up by a presence by her side. She slowly opens her eyes and finds Tom towering over her with his hands in his pockets. He's looking down at her intently.

"Since you've been here I've haven't been with any other woman and I will never be again." He says seriously. She sits up and looks down at her lap. "That's all I'm going to tell you."

She nods her head. "Alright." She says, unable to look him in the eyes.

He grabs her chin and forces her to looks at him. "You will no longer feel angry or hurt in any way." He says and she almost snorts at the demand… like that's something a person can control.

He smirks at her and brings his head down to kiss her. She scoots over to the side so he can sit down beside her. He deepens the kiss with his hands on her legs, then he pulls back sharply.

"What?" she questions at the glare he's sending her.

"You taste of another." Her face reddens and her heart beat quickens as he looks her over. "What have you been doing?" he hisses as he stands up.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He scowls. "Don't lie to me. Who have you let touch you?" she looks at his shoes. "Tell me!" he yells.

"I-I' don't know what your talking about." She repeats again, her body has started to shake.

Her head goes flying to the side when he smacks her and she whimpers. "Do not lie to me anymore. Now tell me, who have you been fooling around with."

She brings her hand up to her face to hold her hurt cheek. "It was only kissing." She says quietly.

"Kissing? You let another man kiss you!" she's not looking at him but she's sure his eyes are flaming scarlet. She's never heard him this angry before.

"I did it because of you!" she yells, finally getting enough courage to look at him. "because you treat me so badly and I was angry. I give you everything I have and you won't even pretend to be decent towards me."

He watches her cry for a few moments. "Have you forgotten who I am?" he asks in a calm voice.

She shakes her head. "No."

He yanks her hair back so she's forced to look him in his eyes. "Who am I?" he asks meanly.

She knows what she should answer. She knows she should say her master or her lord… but she can't bring herself to admit that so instead she says….

"Tom Riddle."

Fury shadows his face and she blacks out.


	10. Chapter 10

Throbbing pain. Throbbing, intense, sharp pain is hammering into her skull. She slowly opens her eyes and squints against the fire light.

"I'm glad you decided to wake up."

Tom… she goes to sit up but the pain shoots through her again and she falls back against the cold floor. "What happened?" she says, her throat is scratchy and it hurts.

His voice is cold and frightening. "You, little girl, have officially pissed me off."

She finally focuses her tired eyes on him. He's silhouetted by the fire and his eyes gleam brightly against the darkness. His wand is held tightly in his right hand. "Y-You cursed me?"

"Yes." He says, lacking any emotion or remorse. "but you passed out before I could really cause you pain." She shivers at his words. "Are you going to tell me who you let sully you?"

She looks down at her hands unable to meet his eyes. She won't tell on that man, it was all her fault and he doesn't deserve Tom's wrath. "It didn't mean anything and it will never happen again." She says instead.

"No, it won't happen again. I can assure you of that. Even if I have to chain you to my bed for the rest of our lives, I will never let you betray me again." His voice drops to a dangerous level as he finishes. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Her nervous eyes flick up to him. "Do you!" he yells. It echo's through the room and she flinches. "Well, let me tell you. You have allowed one of my followers to touch you, to go behind my back and try to possess something that belongs to me. That means whoever did this, whoever you whored yourself out to, does not have proper respect for me. This means they can not be trusted, which means I must watch my back more then ever! I am raising an empire and I can not have that kind of disrespect from anyone. Not from my inner circle and especially not from you. Now tell me, who the fuck it was!"

She starts to cry. "Please… I can't… He didn't… I'm sorry." It's painful to talk and every movement makes her wince. What spell did he use?

"Stop rambling, you pathetic girl." He walks closer to her and pulls her hair back so she's forced to look at him. "If you won't tell me, then I'll find out for my self. Do not try to resist or your punishment will be far worse then it already is."

Isabel is helpless as he sorts through her thoughts. Her body starts to tremble as he focuses intensely on the memory he was looking for. "It hurts." She says shakily as he continues to ravage her mind.

"You deserve it." He hisses as he pulls out. He looks angrier now then he did before. "So, Rabastan Lestrange was your man of choice?" He takes a few steps away and clicks his tongue. "I thought you had better taste then that."

"I was upset. I only did it because I was angry." She says desperately as she looks back down. She clenches her eyes shut. "I pretended he was you."

He laughs nastily. "How charming…"

"I was just angry…" she repeats again.

"You were angry?" he smirks at her and she is more scared then she ever was before. "We handle our anger in very different ways then, don't we kitten?" He fiddles with his wand and she watches him with wide eyes. "You, apparently spread your legs for the nearest willing cock, while I use an entirely different method of dealing with my anger… would you like to see?" he asks conversationally, tilting his head to the left and gripping his wand.

She shakes her head violently. "No, no I don't."

A fake pout graces his face. "That is a shame, isn't it? Well, I think I'm going to show you anyways."

"Please don't, please forgive me."

"You, of all people, should know I do not forgive easily." He says to her while taking slow strides until he's an inch away.

She nods her head solemnly. "I understand." She says quietly; ready to face her fate, knowing there's no way around it.

"Do you?" She looks him in the eyes that are brimming with anger, hatred, and… hurt?

"Yes, I do."

"That's a step in the right direction." He says he points his wand at her. "This will be over before you know it." He says as a jet of red light shoots from his wand.

She falls onto her back and shuts her eyes as the curse takes a hold of her. She tries not to yell too loud as the sensation of a million razor blades tearing her skin over takes her body. She starts shaking and curls into a ball when pain slams into her brain repeatedly, making her feel like she's been slammed into a brick wall over and over again. A burning sensation rips through her lungs and mouth and she bites down so hard that she's drawn blood. When another wave of pain hits her she really wishes she could die. When he finally lifts the curse, she's on her back panting heavily, with sweat dripping down her face.

"If he would have fucked you, it would have been far worse." He says darkly. He waits a moment for her to regain her composer and when she does he kneels down beside her, studying her face. She feels his fingers trace her jaw. "Now tell me, who is your master?"

"You are." She croaks out, slightly trembling from the pain.

"Who does your body belong do?"

"You."

"Who owns you?"

"You own me."

His fingers fist in her hair and he yanks it hard. She barely has the strength to whimper "If you ever forget that again I will burn you alive, do you understand?"

"I understand."

He grabs her wrists painfully and yanks her off the floor. Her legs are shaky and she has to lean into him for support. "We have a certain friend of yours we have to visit." He says as he apparates them away.

X

"Lestrange." Rabastan opens his eyes fearfully as the Dark Lord storms into his bed room. He jumps up and feels his heart plummet when he sees a crying and beaten Isabel being dragged behind him. "You and I are going to have a little chat."

"W-What?" Tom's eyes become a violent shade of red. "My Lord." He says coming to his senses and bowing down to his knees. Isabel can't stand to face him.

"Tell me," Tom says as he turns his eyes back to the girl behind him. "What is it you see in this man?" he asks curiously.

"Please don't." she says quietly, while looking at the ground.

"Don't want to answer?" he says his eyes cast back down at Rabastan. "It seems being around you makes her shy." His eyes rake down her body over his shoulder. "Like a shy, blushing virgin, but she is no virgin, are you?" He says with a leer and she can't stand to look anywhere but her shoes. He turns back to the other man. "Stand up." He does so at once and bows his head respectively. "Kiss her." he says.

Both eyes in the room shoot up to him in disbelief. "My Lord… I don't understand…"

"You were so eager to do it before," he sneers. "I'd rather you do it in front of me then behind my back."

"My Lord, don't do this." Isabel pleads, addressing him properly and putting her hand on his arm.

He yanks it away violently. "Don't you dare touch me, you slut." Her face reddens a deeper shade of scarlet and she steps away as if she'd been slapped. "If you're going to act like a slut then you'll be treated like one." Tom points his wand at Rabastan's chest with a smirk on his face. "If you insist I use force then so be it. Imperio."

Suddenly the other mans eyes glaze over and his body becomes ridged. "Lestrange?" questions Tom. Rabastan looks at him blankly. "I order you to kiss Isabel."

Isabel starts backing away as the larger man approaches her. Once pinned against the wall he pushes his mouth down on hers painfully. She tries to pull away. "Stop it!" she yells as he covers her mouth once again.

"But didn't you want to kiss him?" says Tom lightly as he walks up to them. "I thought this was what you wanted…" He stands by Lestrange's side, watching Isabel's reaction closely. "Do you want to touch her, Rabastan? You can. Touch her wherever you want. She does have a delicious body."

She kicks at his strong body, trying to get him away and screams when he bites her lip. His hands come up and start painfully playing with her breasts and tears start to fall down her face. "Stop it, please I don't want this. Make him stop." She says breathlessly as she fights to get away from him. He trails harsh kisses down her neck.

"She likes it rough, Lestrange." He hisses in the other mans ear. "Make it hurt."

He grinds into her and pulls her skirt up, again she screams. "No! Get off of me, stop this!"

He rips her knickers away from her body and fear starts to over take her. Would he really let him rape her? She looks at Tom who is watching the sight with a blank face. His eyes narrowed and his arms crossed.

"Isn't this what you wanted, My Love?" he asks snidely as Rabastan's fingers work their way closer to her center as his leg is painfully pushing hers apart.

"No, it's not." She sobs while trying to push at his shoulders.

"But, I thought you wanted him." he says innocently

"I only want you. No one else… please make him stop. I don't want him to touch me. No one can touch me but you. I love you." She says desperately, clawing at the hand that's trying to work its way between her legs. "Don't let him have me, I promise I'll never misbehave again." Rabastan jerks the hand that's trying to pull his away and pins it above her head. "I only love you, don't let him do this!"

With a pleased smirk he lifts his wand and Rabastan is free from the curse. He survey's the girl in front of her with wide eyes. Quickly he removes his hands from her body and steps away, giving her an apologetic look. It's nothing compared to the one she's sending him as she adjusts her clothes.

"You just assaulted my wife." Tom says, with an amused light in his eyes. "Why ever would you do a thing like that?"

They both watch him fearfully at his change of tactics. "Forgive me, My Lord." Lestrange says quietly, his eyes burning with injustice of being accused of something while under the Imperius curse… cast by the same man.

"Isabel can tell you that I don't forgive that easily," he turns to Isabel who has slumped against the wall. "Do I, kitten?" She shakes her head no with her bottom lip trembling. He starts circling the other man, with a predatory walk. "What, oh what, should be done with you… You shouldn't be allowed to enjoy other women, considering the way you treated my dear wife." He says and shoots a hex at him.

Blood starts to soak the front Lestrange's pants and he falls to the ground, gripping himself and yelling in pain. Isabel pales when she realizes he's just been castrated.

Tom pauses for a moment in front of him and brings with fingers up to his chin in mock thought. A sinister smile comes to his face and he turns back around. "Come here." He demands harshly. Isabel takes slow, fearful steps towards him. He grabs her and makes her face the other man. "You are going to kill him." he says silkily in her ear.

Her mouth suddenly has gone dry. She watches wide eyed, as he puts his dark wand into her palm. "I can't kill him." she says honestly.

"Yes, you can. Either you kill him or I kill him…. yours will be the more merciful of the two."

She shakes her head. "I can't" she says in a voice barely above a whisper.

"We've been over this before." He growls against her neck and she flinches. "Now, kill him or I'm going to make you watch as I slowly tear him apart in the most painful way imaginable."

"Just kill me." Lestrange says desperately from the spot in front of her. He groans as more blood coats his hands.

"See, he wants to die." He says in her ear, almost seductively. "He knows the consequences, he knows what should rightly happen to him by my wand, but I'm giving you a chance to take pity on him. I'm giving you a chance to save your friend and her blood-traitor mother as well." Molly and Ginny, she looks at him with her brow furrowed and he smiles. "That's right… I'll kill them too if you don't do as I say."

Her hand shakes as she lifts it to his chest. "I'm sorry," she tells him softly. He closes his eyes. "A-Ada… A-Adava K…"

"Just fucking do it already, before I change my mind." Hisses Tom impatiently.

Isabel eyes the broken, pale, and trembling man on the ground. Her heart pours out with sympathy and regret. She straightens her spine and takes in a shaky breath. "Adava Kedavra." She says solidly as a shot of green light bursts from her wand and hits the man in the chest. Isabel falls to her knees, trying not to vomit while staring at the dead eyes of the man she just killed. "What have you done to me?"

She feels him touch her cheek. "We'll never talk of this from now on," he grabs her chin forcefully, so she has to look at him. "but if I ever find out you've done anything this foolish again, I will not be so kind next time."

With that he takes her in his arms and apparates them back to the castle.

X

"Take a shower and rid yourself of him." he orders as he throws her in the bed room. She nods her head with out argument and runs into the bathroom.

He runs a frustrated hand through his dark hair and stomps from the room, locking the door on the way out. This was not how he pictured his first day home to be like. She was supposed to be happy to see him; she was supposed to be waiting for him. She was not supposed to be angry and jumping all over someone else and where did that whole 'other women' thing come from anyway?

He growls and kicks a near bye table as he storms down the hall way. She was angry with him, that's why she said she did that. He sneers, that's no excuse for hurting him the way she did and it did hurt badly. He hates that it hurt him to know she did that with someone else. No one messes with him like that, no one, not even her. Octavian is walking up behind him; he can always tell it's him because he smells like cigar smoke.

"What do you want?" he snaps, without even stopping to greet the other man.

"My Lord, forgive me, but I have some papers that I need you to go over. They're about your plan for dissolving the ministry."

"Give them to me later." He snaps. "I want to call a meeting of my inner circle…" when Octavian doesn't move as quick as he thinks he should he takes out his wand and yells. "Now!"

The older man scurries off as the Dark Lord apparates to their meeting place. Moments later, ten of Lord Voldemort's elite general's enter the room. They all fall to their knees and he waves them up.

"I've ordered you here because I need someone else to take over the raiding squads until I can find a replacement."

"My Lord, Is my brother not running that any more?"

"Obviously not, Lestrange." The Death Eaters shift their eyes from side to side uneasily. The Dark Lord watches them closely. "If you are wondering why he is no longer able to fill that post it would be because he's dead." There's a collective gasp and confused looks. Rabastan Lestrange was one of the most loyal followers. "He committed treason against me and if anyone wishes to stand up for him, or speak well of him in my presence, you will suffer the same fate, and believe me it wasn't pleasant."

Rodopholus Lestrange begins to shake, fearing he will fall out of favor. He kneels down before his Master. "If I may, My Lord," He gets a nod and continues. "What did my traitor brother do to dishonor you?"

Flashes of their betrayal flicker through his mind and his face contorts in anger once more. "I do not tolerate people touching my things." he says dangerously and then shifts his eyes back to the group around him. "Lucius, you will take up his post until I reinstate someone more worthy.

He leaves with a swirl of his dark robes. She's still taking a shower when he returns and he approaches the shower stall slowly. He can see her shadow through the fogged glass and when he opens the door she turns away from him. He has the instant need to touch her.

"Are you still mad at me?" She asks in a broken female voice that does something strange to him.

He begins removing his clothes and ignores her question as he steps in behind her. She still refuses to face him. Water drenches his hair and body, matching hers. "This is behind us now." He tells her as he pulls her body against his. "We won't speak of it again but I will warn you not to act like a stupid little girl next time you're angry with me."

"I am a little girl." She mumbles.

"What did you say?"

"I'm only seventeen… sometimes I think you forget that." She says quietly but he doesn't respond because he knows she's right. "Why…" she rubs her forehead, "Why did you do this to me? I need an answer. Why couldn't you just get along with one of your followers; Someone who actually liked this type of life… someone heartless… some one more like you?"

"I don't want someone like me." He says against her hair. He turns her around and looks into her eyes. She looks so vulnerable and his temper cools, either from the water or the sad look on her face, he doesn't know which. "Why want someone like me when I can have someone like you." He says. He kisses her to reclaim what she gave to another, and is surprisingly relieved when she doesn't try to stop him, not that he'd allow that, of course.

"Do you love me?" she asks in whisper when he pulls back.

She keeps her eyes closed but his snap open. "I love no one." He says and for some reason that makes her cry. So he hugs her to his body as she sobs into his chest.

X

"Do you play the piano?"

"You don't have to stay in here. You can go somewhere else if you want to." She tells Ginny as she takes a seat in front of the large, black piano, placing her fingers lightly over the keys.

"It wasn't fair what I said to you." Says Ginny as she takes a seat on the bench beside her. "It was hateful and I'm sorry."

Isabel begins moving her fingers over the keys, not pressing them down to make noise. "I hate apologizing. If I had a choice I would never do it again." She says because she usually has to do it three times a day to Tom, for no good reason. She looks down at her hands. "I'm not very good, really. I just know how to read music." She says as she begins playing a simple song. "I had lessons when I was younger, but I never really got into it." She hits a wrong key and scrunches up her nose. "See, I'm no master."

Ginny doesn't respond but listens quietly as Isabel works her way through an old song. Hitting wrong notes and keys all the way through. With a frustrated sigh she stops. "I wish I had some sheet music… I wouldn't be half as terrible with that."

"It's better then the silence." Ginny says while looking at her lap.

They sit there quietly for a few moments until Isabel lifts her hands to the piano and starts playing again. The song is sad and low. "My mother taught me this one." She says in a faraway voice. A ghost of a smile graces her face. "She was brilliant with music… she could pick up anything and play. I think it always bugged her that I wasn't very good."

"You must miss her."

"I miss all of them." She closes her eyes and continues to play. "I killed someone." She says in a voice barely above a whisper.

"What?"

"I killed a man."

Ginny's eyes widen. "What do you mean you killed a man? Who did you kill and why did you kill him?"

Her fingers become more forceful and the song starts to sound choppy. "_He_ made me kill him because I let him kiss me."

"You-know-who made you?" she says as she eyes follow the progression of the other girl's hands as they abuse the piano.

"Yes, he did, and then when I asked him why he wanted me, when he could have someone more like him, he said 'why want someone like me when I can have someone like you.'" She stops and turns to Ginny. "Doesn't he realize he's slowly turning me into someone like him everday?"

Ginny gives her an uncomfortable smile. A house elf pops into the room and she jumps but Isabel glares down at the floor.

"Master says you must come eat lunch with him." says the tiny elf with bulging yellow eyes.

With out a word Isabel stands and walks to the dinning hall. She sits by his side, placing the napkin on her lap. She barely looks at him as she eats and all that can be heard is the noise of silver wear on the ceramic plates. She breaks the silence.

"I miss my family." She says solidly, looking out the window.

"They're dead." He reply's not even bothering to sound sympathetic.

"I'd like to visit their graves." She says. "I never got to properly say goodbye."

He smirks. "Why do you think I should let you do that?"

"Because you owe me."

He watches her closely now. "How so?"

Besides the obvious? She takes a careful sip of her water and puts down her silver wear. "Because I think the woman carrying your child should get something she wants."

He studies her for a few minutes and then a slow smile spreads over his face.


	11. Chapter 11

"Why are we doing this again? I think I would know my own body."

"My, aren't you mouthy this morning." Says Tom with a smirk on his face. "To answer your question we're doing this because I want to make sure. No false positives."

She scrunches up her nose and sits on the bed. "Are you making that old doctor come here again?"

"Do you want to see him again?" he asks lightly, playing with a quill on the desk beside his chair.

She shudders, remembering her last examination. "No, I don't. He gave me the creeps."

He laughs then and looks in her eyes. "Good, because he's no longer able to practice his special craft."

"What do you mean?"

He smirks at her then and turns his attention back to the quill, not answering her. She eyes him closely as he does this and decides to test her limits.

"When can I see my family?" she says, thinking it's morbid to say it that way considering they're dead… but Tom won't be bothered by that.

He runs the feather along his palm. "When I'm sure you're carrying my son."

"Or daughter."

He smirks, looking at his fingers as he brings the sharp tip of the writing utensil to his skin. He pushes hard, lost in his own thoughts and watches his flesh with a curious expression on his face as blood starts to drip from his finger tip. She sees this as an opportunity; he is usually never this involved in himself. She walks over to him and sits down on his lap.

He looks up, surprised for a half of a second before his face becomes neutral and his mind focuses back on the world around him.

"You hurt yourself." She says lightly, taking his injured hand in her own and looking down at the red blood that's staining his skin, thinking it strange that he's even capable of bleeding. She's not good at manipulating people, but it's worth a try.

"It didn't hurt." He says, watching her closely as she brings his finger up to her lips and kisses it. When she puts his hand back on her lap she looks at him with his blood on her lips. He unconsciously licks his own. "I think blood is beautiful…" he admits, bringing his fingers up to her mouth, tracing the delicate bow of her lips and the blood that glistens off of them, his other hand wraps around her back, holding her in place. "It's beautiful like you."

Her breath starts to quicken at his words and all thoughts of manipulation fall from her mind. He's being open with her and honest with her, probably for the first time since she's met him. She starts to shake because of the intendancy of his gaze and the deepness of his voice. "You're like blood." He says in a faraway voice as his right hand twirls locks of her hair around his fingers.

"How?" is all she can get out. The look in his eyes makes it impossible to speak much else. He's never looked this way before. He looks almost real, almost like a flesh and bone person who can have feelings outside of anger and revenge.

His eyes travel all over her face, then to her neck, lingering on Slytherin's locket, then down to her legs, where she's holding his hand in her own. He leans back in the chair, cocking his head to the side and taking his hands from hers. He rests his elbow on the chair and brings his fingers up to his mouth while he studies her. She holds his eyes for as long as she can and then, suddenly feeling very vulnerable, she lowers her head.

"Because if I lost you, I would die." He says so quietly that she barely heard him.

She feels her cheeks turn hot and she looks at him from the corner of her eyes. His face holds such sincerity that she almost cries. He places his hand on her abdomen, where their baby may be growing and he leans his face to hers. She tilts her head and kisses him. To her it feels like the first time.

Wind rattling against the window makes her jump away and when she looks at Tom she realizes the moment is gone. The openness and connection has died and she wants to scream at the loss.

He stands up, making her stand as well. "We'll go to the cemetery after you get checked by the Medi-witch." He says as he walks to the doorway. She watches his back with a strange longing in her heart. Feeling her stare on the back of his neck he turns around. "That's what you wanted, right?"

She almost tells him to stop, she almost asks him to stay, but she doesn't. He leaves and she sits in the middle of the floor looking down at the wooden floor boards, totally confused.

X

An eerie feeling runs through her spine as she looks down at her own worn tombstone. It's plain, with sharp edges and moss covering its corners. Her full name engraved in a simple script with her birthday and supposed year of her death underneath it are the only things on the piece of rock. She frowns down at it. Tombstones aren't something a living person generally thinks about often, but seeing her own boring and simple one she almost wishes it were more elaborate.

"We have something in common." Tom's manly voice brings her out of her daze; she turns to him as he leans against a tree and eats an apple. Does he even need to eat, since he immortal and all? She wonders and files that question away for a later date.

"What's that?" she asks him.

He throws the apple and pushes off the tree, walking towards her. "We've both been believed dead at one time, when we were very much alive." A twisted smile comes to his face. "Funny, isn't it?"

No. She turns away from him to the other headstones by her own. Her father, Lennox Prewett, was always so strong and noble with a fierce stare and a kind heart. He died five years after she allegedly did. Annabell shares a stone with her husband and music from her childhood fills Isabel's ears. An image from when she was five floats to the surface of her mind and she smiles.

Her mother, tall and proud like an Amazon sat at her grand piano with her pale, beautiful hands placed gently on the keys. Her eyes were closed and the sun coming in from the large windows cast a halo around her red gold hair. To Isabel she looked like some sort of Goddess when she played music. She was in her element and didn't answer to trivial words such as Mother or Wife. When she played she was above all those things, when she played she was in another world, one that Isabel could never reach.

"I can feel you staring at me, poppet." Her mother had said with her eyes still closed. Isabel, timid at being called out, didn't speak. "Come here, baby. You don't have to hide in the doorway."

On her small legs she had walked to the center of the room where her mother sat, waiting for her. She remembered how lovely her mother looked that particular day. Her hair flew freely down her back and shone brilliantly in the passing light. A dark green dress complimented her pale skin and when she opened them to look at her daughter Isabel was impressed by the vivid green of her eyes. She was a beautiful woman, but beautiful in the strong, wise way that some woman are.

Her mother had reached out her hands and lifted her small body onto her lap. "Would you like to play with me?" she had asked gently in an affectionate motherly voice.

Isabel's small face lit up and her blue eyes sparkled at the suggestion. "Yes." She had said, trying to calm her excited heart. She had never been allowed to touch this piano before.

"Put your hands over mine." She had said, placing her eloquent hands over the light keys. Isabel did as she was told and her small hands barely covered the older woman's. "Now, close your eyes and let me lead the way." She had whispered against her hair.

She played a lovely song and Isabel smiled at the feeling of her fingers moving on top of her mothers. It was like she was playing this amazing song and when she opened her eyes and looked down at her lightly freckled hands she couldn't wait to grow up. So she could be great at something like her mother was, so she could be beautiful and wise, and everything she ought to be.

A hand on her back brings her back to present and she realizes with a sigh how much she wishes she could be a five year old again and how wrong she was about growing up. Tom says something to her but she only hears it from a distance as she looks at the final tombstone that's next to hers. Her brother, Xavier, only four years her senior had died in 1992. Beside him rests his wife and two sons, brothers to Molly Weasley, and part of a family she'd never know.

"We have to leave." States Tom as she stares blankly before her.

In her mind she can see them all alive and happy. Talking and joking with out a care in the world. They must have been devastated when they thought she was dead, how did they handle that? She wishes now that she could hug them and tell them that it was alright, that she never died, that they could be a family again. Her father could lecture her about the importance of an education as neon green smoke puffed out of the end of his pipe, her mother would frown at her choice of clothing while telling her that a lady never wore anything that was shorter then her knees, her brother… her brother would protect her from the world and hold her hand when it stormed.

A hand brushes away a stray tear that had slipped down her face and she focuses on the person before her. "We must leave." Tom repeats again as he captures another tear with his finger. She nods her head then and silently says goodbye to her family, knowing Tom will never let her come back. As she walks the path out of the cemetery she places her hand over her stomach where the confirmed baby is forming. She promises herself that she will protect her child from heartache the best she possibly can.

X

She lays in Tom's arms that night, drumming her fingers against his chest. "What are you thinking?" he asks quietly as the darkness obscures them from view.

"Nothing." She whispers.

"Don't lie."

She inhales deeply, holding on to him a little tighter. "What kind of Father will you be?" she asks him and she can tell that that wasn't what he expected.

"I guess I'll have to become one to find out, won't I?"

"Will you be kind?" she asks very quietly while picking at the edge of the cover.

"I won't tolerate disobedience, even in my child. If that's what you mean."

She frowns deeply at his words. She can deal living with him, she can deal baring his child but she doesn't think she can deal with him cursing their child. "Please, don't be too mean to our child. I want our daughter or son to grow up loved."

"That's what you're for."

"I had a good father… I think it's important."

He's quiet for a while. "I never had a father."

"Then you can make up for it by being a good one."

He laughs. "Let's worry about that when the baby comes. I'm tired, go to sleep."

She closes her eyes but doesn't fall asleep until late in the night. Tom's gone in the morning so she stretches her arms above her head before getting dressed and walking towards the breakfast hall. She has her head bent, chewing on her thumb nail, stuck in thoughts about babies when she hears voices around the corner.

"The wards will temporary be placed down at noon."

"What for?" asks a young, stupid sounding voice.

The more distinguished of the two sighs loudly and Isabel can tell that it's Octavian. "I've already told you, Goyle. The Dark Lord needs the wards down when he brings in the thresrals. So we must be on high alert for the few moments that they're down, exactly at twelve. Do you understand now?"

Isabel swiftly turns around and walks the opposite way. She knows this is her chance to escape. She breaks into a run and reaches the bed room where she keeps her wand. Out of breath from moving so quickly she takes a break, staring at the clock on the wall. It's ten o'clock so she has some time. She sits down on the edge of her bed, too excited to eat and too nervous to move. Thinking out a game plan she decides that she'll leave through the kitchens and escape that way, and then once out side of the wards she can apparate… but where would she go? And wait, she can't apparate while carrying a child. A frown creases her brow and she slumps a little further down. I can't leave Tom, he's all I have, she thinks to herself. What about Ginny and what about Molly? She sits in the same place in what seems forever, lost in thought.

With a frustrated sigh she stands and makes her way to Ginny's room. It's now eleven thirty. Deciding to do something good and selfless she opens the door and tells the other girl to follow her.

They walk down through the dark twisted halls until they reach the dungeons where

Isabel stuns the guard; they walk over his body and into the darkness. Swiftly making their way through the musty, cell filled corridor, she stops in front of cell number twenty three. Molly Weasley.

"What are we doing?" asks Ginny a little fearfully. She brings her hands up and rubs the sides of her arms against the chill.

"You and your mom are leaving." With that she blasts open the door and storms over to the hunched over body of the emaciated Weasley mother. "Are you okay?" the girl asks as she places her hand on her shoulder.

Molly looks up and squints her eyes. Her skin is pale with an odd yellow tint. There are dark purple circles under her eyes and when she reaches a hand up to her face Isabel notices how thin and bony she's become, she doesn't even look like the same woman. A shoot of anger rushes through her, geared towards Tom.

"Ginny?" Molly asks as she runs her fingers down Isabel's face. Her voice is broken and horse, like she hasn't spoken in a long time. "Ginny."

"No, I'm not Ginny." she says and looks towards the other girl who bends down by her mother with tears in her eyes. "We're going to get you out of here Mrs. Weasley."

They both lift her up by the arms and leave the dank dungeons. With light steps and shifty eyes they make it to the kitchens where the house elves are scurrying around frantically, Tom will be home soon.

"What time is it?" demands Isabel from one of the little creatures by her knees.

The house elf squeaks in surprise and then stutters in a high voice. "I-It's Eleven f-fifty f-five, miss."

"He'll be back soon." She says to the two women by her. They look at her with wide eyes, still confused. "The wards will be dropped exactly at twelve, but only for a few moments so you have to make it as far as you can away from here and then apparate." Ginny smiles and starts walking with her mother holding on to her arm. "Ginny, wait." Isabel says, making her stop and turn. "Take my wand."

She places the cherry wood wand into Ginny's surprised pale hand. "Aren't you coming?"

"No, I can't."

"Why can't you?" she asks a little fiercely.

"You don't have much time." She says, pushing the two so they'll move. "You have to leave before he gets back."

"Won't you be in trouble?"

Isabel shrugs and smiles. "I'll just blame everything on you."

They smile at each other for a moment. Then Ginny reaches out her arm and hugs Isabel tightly. "Thanks." She says. "I won't forget about you."

"You had better not." Laughs Isabel, even through her tears. She gives Molly a tired hug that the woman can barely handle. "Go now."

She watches with a heavy heart as the women limp across the grass. She places her hand over her stomach as she walks up to her bed room. She eats a peach and waits for Tom to come home.

X

"I've received some interesting news."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Tom closes the door. "and why are you doing that. You don't know how to sew."

She scrunches her nose when she pricks her finger. "I'm trying to learn."

"That's besides the point." He says waving a hand dismissively and pulling her sewing material away from her with the other. "Do you want to hear my interesting news?"

"Okay."

He studies the small little flowers she was attempting to stitch. "Today… someone stunned a few of my guards, freed Molly Weasley from the dungeons, and helped her and her daughter escape."

"Oh?"

"Is that really all you have to say to me?" his voice has taken a dangerous edge. She looks at him under thick lashes. "Why did you do it?"

"What do you mean?"

He smiles slowly. "You know exactly what I mean. Only one person could possibly have done all of that and that's you."

"Why do you think it was me?"

"People saw you and they had your wand."

"Oh."

He stands over her now. "Is there anything you'd like to say to me?"

She sighs and looks away. "No, not really…"

"That's unfortunate."

"I don't see how."

Frustrated he yells. "You do not make these decisions! You do not go behind my back and do things like this."

"It looks like I did now, doesn't it?"

He grabs her arm and lifts her up. "Stop talking back to me."

"I'm just answering you."

"You are trying my patience."

She looks at him then, square in the eyes. "Is that supposed to scare me?" she's feeling brave because he doesn't have anyone there that he can hurt her with, because Ginny and her Mother are free. She's also pregnant. So he wouldn't hurt her… would he?

"Do you want me to strike you?" he asks in a voice that's almost a hiss.

She gulps loudly but keeps his gaze. "I think it all comes down to what you want, doesn't it."

Grabbing her wrist he pushes her against the table behind her. Her back crashes into the edge and the vase that it was holding goes crashing to the side, spilling flowers and the water it was holding. She doesn't move as he stalks towards and lifts her up so she has to sit on top. The water from vase soaks the back of her dress and her shoulder blades smack against the wood.

She knows she should be afraid of him right now; she should be scared that he'll hurt her, but she's not. Instead she's excited by his forcefulness and she's attracted to his control. When did that happen? Maybe it's the hormones. She brings a hand up to touch him but he grabs it and pins it to the table, wetness spreads between her legs.

"Never," he starts, glaring down at her and grabbing the waist band of her knickers. "Talk back to me," He rips them off her body. "again." If he's surprised by her arousal he doesn't show it. "Do you understand?" he asks harshly as he pushes her dress up a little more and unbuckles his belt.

"Yes," she says breathlessly. "I understand."

He pushes inside of her roughly and she closes her eyes. "This is how I own you." He says. "This is how I control you."

Those words make no sense to her right now so she ignores them as he starts to thrust painfully into her. One hand still gripping her wrist to the table, the other holding her hip in place. Pleasure starts to build inside of her and then he removes the hand on her arm, placing it on top of her leg.

"Sit up." He says sharply. Confused and in a haze she opens her eyes and scrunches her brows. "I said sit up!" he yells, adding a slap to her thigh.

She does so immediately, placing her hands behind her to steady her body. She's starting to breathe heavily and she's feeling very hot. Tom looks like a perfect marble statue. Completely in control of his expressions and body. How does he do that?

"Pull down the front of your dress." He says steadily, although he's still moving harshly inside of her. Again she's too shocked to move. His fingers dig painfully into her smooth skin. "Now!" He barks while he thrusts particularly hard. She whimpers, from the pain and the pleasure it caused.

She brings one hand up and lowers the right strap on her peach colored dress. Her whole body is shaking from his movements but he doesn't stop. She goes to the second and has to pause when a shock ripples through her. She closes her eyes and bites her lip. Getting a hold of her self she lowers the left one and she pulls down the front of the bodice, revealing her breasts to him.

He makes a strange noise in the back of his throat as he looks down at her. He places his hands on both sides of her body, giving him more leverage and making his thrusts deeper. She wraps her legs around him so she doesn't go flying backwards on the table, he groans. His head drops to her neck and he places hot, open mouthed kisses there, every movement making them closer. His shirt material scratches her chest and she drops her forehead to his shoulder, unable to handle all of the sensations that are coursing through her at once.

He whispers her name during his release and she shudders around him. They stay in the same position, breathing against each other for a few moments. "I'll let you get away with this. Only this one time." He says against her ear. She smiles and kisses his neck. "They weren't that important anyways… but don't do it again."

He pulls back enough to look at her. She kisses him softly on the lips. "I'm going to need a new wand now."


	12. Chapter 12

She's standing on the balcony, looking out over the battle field. Tom's Death Eaters greatly out number the small resistance and their uprising will fail in a matter of seconds. Curses go flying into the air making everything light up in strange colors. It looks like a fireworks show. Every once in a while she can hear something being shouted in Russian but she doesn't know the language so she squints her eyes and tries to make out faces.

The sun has started to set and the rebels have started to flee. Tom stands beside her. "What do you think?" he asks her while taking a drink from his crystal glass.

"What do I think about what?" she asks as her eyes focus on a Russian rebel who has fallen. A group of Death Eaters zero in on him and she looks away.

"You wanted to see what my Death Eaters do." He points to a large cloaked figure who is sending a killing curse towards a rebel. "This is what they do."

She doesn't say anything then. Her request, she realizes now, was a stupid one. She shouldn't have seen this. It makes her feel depressed and oddly saddened. These rebels are fighting for what they believe in. She looks at Tom from the corner of her eye as he looks out to his army. He's fighting for what he believes in too. It's all too confusing to her now. A gust of wind gushes by them, ruffling her dress and sending a shiver down her spine. She turns to Tom and brings her body close to his chest for warmth. He seems surprised by her sudden display of affection but he covers it quickly by bringing his arms around her.

She watches with glassy eyes as the sun sets and the curses stop flying. The Death Eaters have won of course and there are no survivors left. We don't tolerate disobedience, Tom had said and he was right. She places her hand on top of her stomach.

"You won't make our child fight like this, will you?" she asks worriedly.

"By the time he's old enough, there shouldn't be any more fighting."

She's relieved by that. She places her head on his chest as the Death Eaters levitate the dead bodies and place them in a giant fire by the edge of the forest. The smell of burnt flesh reaches her nostrils and she scrunches up her nose. Before she would have been screaming and running to see such a sight but now she is just mildly annoyed by the smell. What's happening to her?

"I have something for you." He says as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small black box. "I hope you like it." He says.

She takes it from him and opens the lid slowly. Her breath catches as she looks upon the beautiful ring that's nestled among the velvet lining inside. The ring is made out of white gold and a large diamond is the main center piece, beside it are two smaller emeralds. It's perfect. She looks up to him with a smile and he takes it out of the box and slips it on her left ring finger.

"There," he says as the ring glows and fits to her finger. "Now you have a wedding ring."

She smiles down at it as it adjusts to her. "What spells are on this?" she asks curiously as the ring stops glowing.

She looks into his eyes as he answers. "The typical marriage spells." He says with a smirk.

She's never heard of any marriage spells… let alone typical ones. She frowns at him. "What spells?"

He takes her hand and starts playing with the ring. "It will let me know where you are at all times, it will let me know if you need help," he looks deeply into her troubled eyes. "And it will let me know if you ever let someone else touch you." He says in a deep, threatening voice.

She starts chewing on her bottom lip. This ring is more of a collar then a piece of jewelry. She touches the locket around her neck and scowls. The things he gives her are more like chains then gifts. Tom sees her worried face and laughs. "I'm the only one who can take this off, sweetheart." He says lightly. "So don't even try."

"Do you have one?" she asks after a few moments.

Again he laughs at her and she takes that as a no. He's so unfair; if she has to have a tracking device on her then he should too! With a huff she turns away from him and back inside. They're staying in some large mansion in Russia. He was truthful with her when he told her she could come on his next campaign… but it wasn't what she expected. It's just like being in Slytherin's castle, she can't go anywhere and she has to wait around all day until Tom comes to her. It's such a boring life being with him.

He follows her and closes the glass doors behind him. He watches, amused, as she stalks towards the vanity and sits down. He loves it when she gets mad like this. Her face becomes flushed and she tries desperately to pretend like he isn't in the room… but he still has control over her and she can't leave. He wants her every time she's like this; if she knew that she probably wouldn't get angry as often. Watching his army defeat the rebels and watching her huff around the room has made him hard and he wants to take her to bed.

Tom sits down in one of the chairs, facing her back as she pretends to organize things on the table. He watches her reflection in the mirror closely. "Take off your dress."

Her eyes snap to his in the mirror. She places her hand on her stomach, that's just now starting to show, and pretends she's ill. "But I'm not feeling well." She says lightly, not looking at him because he can tell when she's lying.

"Isabel…" Tom says in a voice that clearly shows he doesn't believe. "Take it off. I want to see your body." She shakes her head, still unable to look at him. His patience is starting to dwindle. "If you don't do as I say you'll be punished."

She looks him in the eyes then and sees that he's dead serious. He has a lustful hunger in his eyes and it makes her body respond. Why does his power make her feel this way? He must be putting a spell on her. She stands up and faces him, walking closer to the chair where he's sitting. His eyes rake over her body and become a shade darker when she begins removing her dress.

When she's fully nude she rests her hands to the side and waits for him to make his move, but he doesn't. He just sits there and stares at her body. "Sit on the floor." He says after a few moments and she becomes confused. She almost asks why but he shoots her a heated look so she sits down before him.

"Open your legs." He commands again and she closes her eyes as she does what he says. She's now totally exposed to him and utterly confused by his behavior. "Touch yourself."

Her eyes snap open to his. He sits cool and collected on his chair, staring down at her with dark eyes. "What?" she croaks out.

"Touch yourself." He repeats again and her cheeks flame with embarrassment. She can't do that in front of him. "Make yourself wet for me."

This is a control game for him, she realizes. He's showing her the power that he has over her body and herself… she's concerned when she realizes that it doesn't bother her. Slowly, she brings her hands up to touch her body and she does all that he tells her to. She fondles her breasts and runs her hands along her smooth skin. Her fingers aren't as long or skilled as Tom's and she becomes frustrated with herself as she works them between her legs. She almost forgets that's she's being watched.

"Don't cum with out my permission." He says steadily. She looks at him then, his eyes are watching her closely and his body is calm, but she can see his arousal and his words make her even wetter. His arms grip the side of the chair tightly. He's starting to loose control of himself… that makes her happy.

She moans when she reaches a certain place. "Please." She says breathlessly.

"Please what?" he says harshly, trying to cover up the strain in his voice.

"Please make me cum." She feels like she should wash her mouth out with soup. He's turned her into a sexual deviant.

He smirks then. "Would you like my help?" he says lightly while watching her small hands roams her body.

She nods her head up and down, unable to reach any conclusion by herself. "Please Tom, please make me cum."

He stands up, towering over her. He takes his shirt off and watches her eyes as he slowly starts to unbuckle his pants. Her breathing is heavy and she rests her hands at her sides, waiting for him. When did she become so attracted to him? It makes her head hurt so she closes her eyes and lays her head back on the cold floor. His weight falls on top of her and she sighs when she feels his skin against hers. His brings her hand up to his mouth and licks her wetness from them.

His skilled fingers play along her most privet area and she moans, moving towards his hand. His other arm holds her hips down so she can't move. "Did you get this wet for him?" he asks in low accusing voice.

She opens her eyes and sees his set face. What's he talking about? "What do you mean?" she asks and gasps as he runs is fingers along her sex.

"Lestrange, did you get this wet for him?" his voice is hard. He's still hurt by that. He said they wouldn't talk of it again but it still bothers him. She can see that now.

She shakes her head. "No, Sir." she says desperately as he teases her.

"What about that mudblood Samuel Higgins? Were you ever like this for him?"

Her eyes glare at his for bringing up the name of her ex boyfriend. The boyfriend that he murdered. Her eyes narrow as she looks at him. "No, I only get wet for you." She says, telling him what he wants to hear.

He knows that he's the only one who's ever touched her like that. He knows he's the only one who ever will, but he likes to be reassured of his dominance… of his control over her. He slides into her then with out warning and she grips his shoulders.

"That had better be the truth." He grounds out as he slams into her.

X

"But I want one!" she shouts and stomps her foot to drive her point home. If she has to stay in this castle for the rest of her life, she might as well use his 'I can get you anything you want' to her advantage. Even if she does sound like a spoiled child.

"I told you no." he hisses at her, obviously annoyed at her behavior.

"But the baby wants one." She says sadly while rubbing her protruding stomach. She's now seven months pregnant and the baby is defiantly showing.

"There is no way that the baby could possibly want an ice cream cone, now stop it."

"You don't know!" she yells. She's surprised when she starts crying. Hormones do crazy things to your emotions. "You don't know what the baby wants. You don't have to carry her! You don't have to watch as your body grows bigger everyday like a whale!"

"You don't look like a whale." He tells her calmly. Looking around the room to make sure no one is witnessing her embarrassing meltdown. "I told you that the house-elves can make you some ice cream from the kitchens."

"I don't want that ice cream!" she screeches. She realizes she's being annoying, but he deserves it. "It doesn't taste the same!"

"Calm down."

"Why are you so mean to me?!" she shrieks again and he flinches at her tone. The whole entire world could probably hear her. "You are always so mean to me!"

He slams his hand against the desk in frustration but she's too upset to be scared. "Goddamnit!" he yells at her losing his temper, causing the glass in the windows to shake. "What do you want me to do? Do you honestly want me to send one of my Death Eaters to Diagon Alley just to get you some specially made ice cream?"

She furiously wipes tears away with the back of her hands. "Of course not!" she yells. "How could I ever think of asking you to do anything for me?! You only ruined my life and now you've ruined my body, how dare I ask you for anything!"

With that she stomps from the room and hatefully makes her way back to her bedroom.

"Isabel, wait." He says following after her. Anger shoots through him at her for making him chase after her like some dog. "Stop acting unreasonable."

She turns on him then and her eyes flash dangerously. A lesser man would be afraid. "I'm unreasonable, am I?" he nods his head; she makes a weird shrieking noise. "I never want to talk to you again! I hate you!" she yells and runs the rest of the way to the bedroom. Slamming the door and cursing loudly.

He's left frozen in his place. For once the Dark Lord is speeches. What the hell was that?

Moodily he makes his way down to the dinning room where his inner circle is to join him tonight. He takes a deep breath before opening the doors and doesn't even bother to acknowledge them as they bow and grovel at his feet. He takes his seat at the head of the table and slams his goblet down hard after he drains its contents.

What is her problem? She is insane! His mind yells angrily. His eyes look to his right where her seat is empty. She won't come down tonight, he knows that… and he can't force her because the Medi-witch said the stress would be bad for the baby. What does that bitch know? She doesn't have to live with that unreasonable woman who's currently fuming away upstairs.

She probably won't let him touch her tonight. Pregnancy has defiantly given her way too much power over him. With a frustrated growl he turns his attention to one of his followers.

"Draco." He hisses angrily and the young man looks at him startled.

"Yes, My Lord?" he says nervously, his eyes clearly fearful.

"I want you to go to Diagon Alley and get a large strawberry ice cream cone from Florean Fortescues."

Draco looks at him with wide, confused eyes. The rest of the people look around uneasy, unsure of why he is asking such a thing. "Do… do you want me to bring it back here?" the boy asks him timidly.

"Yes, I want you to bring it back here." He snaps meanly. "Now go before I hex you!" Draco is gone in two seconds and everything is silent as the Death Eaters stare fearfully at their Lord. "I'll be in my office." He says, officially losing his appetite.

He's sitting at his desk, watching the sky pass outside of his window when Draco enters. He hands the ice cream cone to his master and closes his eyes like he may get murdered for it. Tom sends him out of the room and he goes to Isabel's door.

Thinking it's best to be polite so she doesn't blow up at him again he lightly taps against the door with his knuckle.

"I said I never wanted to talk to you again!" comes the reply from the other side.

He rolls his eyes. "I have something you may want." He says harshly, like a parent talking to child who has just thrown a fit over something….and won.

He can hear her shuffling to the door and she opens it a crack. His eyes soften when he sees her puffy eyes and tear streaked face. She had been crying this whole time. He's never been gladder that he wasn't a woman.

She opens the door a little wider. "You got it for me?" she asks with a sniffle. He hands it to her and her face lights up. She smiles at him. "Thank you." His heart skips a beat when he sees how happy such a little thing has made her. He should be nice to her more often.

"Are you done being ridiculous?"

She looks at him then and blushes. "Yes, I'm sorry… I just… I'm scared about this whole thing…" she looks down to her stomach and back up to his eyes. "I can't help it.. I just blow up over every little thing. Forgive me?"

He smiles at her then, all frustration gone. "I forgive you, I suppose. Why are you scared?"

A frown forms on her lips as she sits down on the bed. "I've never had a baby before." She says, looking at her lap. "I know it's going to be painful…"

He walks up to her and kisses her forehead. "You don't have to be worried. We have the best Medi-witch in the world looking after you." She smiles up at him. "Now eat that like a good girl. I'll be back up later."

What the hell have I turned into? Was his last thought before leaving the room. When he sorts things out with his followers he meets her in the room again. She's asleep on her side, with her hand on her stomach. He watches her as he undresses and slides in beside her. Placing his chest along her back, he kisses her cheek.

She makes a tired moaning noise and her eyes flutter open. "Tom?" Annoyance flies through his body at the name she calls him but he tries to calm himself… he can't hit her… not while she's pregnant. She brings her hand up over her shoulder and runs it through his thick hair. "I'm glad you came to bed." She says sleepily.

"Did you miss me?" he smirks against her shoulder.

She nods her head and grabs his hand, placing it on her stomach. "Do you feel that?" she asks him. He does, the light kick against his palm makes him focus his attention on her. "That's your daughter."

He smiles then. He's come to terms with it being a girl and not a boy. Besides he has plenty of time to get her pregnant again, and he will. He wants more children whether she agrees to it or not.

"Do you think she'll look like you?" he asks, surprising himself that he cares.

She smiles over her shoulder. "She'll probably have your dark hair, but I don't know." She yawns and stretches her body. "I have a question to ask you and I don't want you to be mad."

He clenches his jaw, nothing ever good came out of a sentence like that. "What?" he snaps.

"What will the baby's last name be?" she turns on her back so she can look him in the eyes. "What's my last name now? Is it Riddle… or is it Voldemort? Is that even a last name?"

"Officially," he says hating the words that are about to come out. "It will be Riddle."

"I've always liked your last name." she says honestly.

"It's a dirty muggle name." he spits out through clenched teach.

She studies his angry face for a few moments. "Was your father a muggle?" she asks surprised… he's never talked about his parents before.

His grip tightens on her arm and she whimpers at him. "Never ask me that again."

"I'm sorry." She whispers.

"Right."

She smiles at his scowl and he turns his face away from her. She places her hand on his cheek. "Calpurnia Riddle sounds nice, doesn't it?

"If you say so." Is all he says, and that's the end of the conversation.

He's more forceful with her that night then he should be but he needs to regain his pride and his control. She yells out his name when she's finished and he realizes that it doesn't sound half as bad when it comes out of her mouth like that.

At three in the morning a persistent knock wakes them from their sleep. Tom shoots up and puts on his pants; he places the blankets over Isabel's naked body and rushes to the door.

"This had better be important." He says hatefully to the cowering Death Eater on the other side.

"Forgive me, My Lord." The Death Eaters pale face looks clammy and frightened. "Forgive me but the Castle is being attacked."

X


	13. Chapter 13

"Attacked?" Tom asks in a calm voice. "Who could possibly attack here?" The Death Eater shrugs his shoulders nervously. "They aren't inside yet?"

"No, My Lord." He answers. "They are on the grounds trying to enter. Our people are holding them off for the time being."

"How many are there?" asks Tom, his eyes slowly turning red.

The Death Eater looks at him in the eyes then. "There are more of them then there are us."

He'll have to summon his army here; he's going to have to fight a battle at his own home. Things will be ruined and he won't be able to live comfortably here again. The traitors had better hope they are all killed during this fight because Lord Voldemort is pissed.

"Give me your arm." He hisses to his follower. When it's within reach Tom pulls back his sleeve and touches his Dark Mark. His dark army will be apparating on the grounds in a matter of moments.

The young Death Eater cries in pain as Tom closes the door in his face. He walks back into the room and puts on a shirt, buttoning it at am alarming speed. He sits on one of the chairs and puts on a pair of black leather boots. Anger is coursing through him right now and it's taking all of his control not to shake from his fury. There is only one way rebels could have made it to his castle… There is a traitor among his followers.

His red eyes flick to the girl on the bed. What to do with her? There's a loud booming noise coming from outside and she jumps awake. She pulls the blanket around her body to cover her nakedness and pushes some hair out of her eyes.

"What was that noise?" she asks in voice thick with sleep. It happens again and she jumps, looking at him fearfully. "What is that?"

He's tucking his shirt in and reaching for his cloak as he answers. "Get dressed and under no circumstances are you to leave this room."

"Why, what's going on?"

He smirks at her then in total confidence. The thrill of using his wand against weaker enemies is starting to over ride his anger. "Nothing I can't handle, I assure you."

Her fear is written on her face and there's worry in her eyes. Unlike him she wears every emotion she has for all the world to see. "What's happening?" she asks softly as she stands up.

He takes his wand from the side table and points it at the door, muttering a spell. "This spell won't admit any one in from the outside, even with their wands. The door can only be opened from the inside now." He then turns to her. "Lock it and let no one in but me… Do you understand?"

She nods her head. "I understand." she says shakily, even though she doesn't.

He kisses her then, a surprisingly sweet kiss, and places his hand on her stomach. It lingers there for few moments before he pulls back and leaves. She stands for a few moments, looking at the door where he just left and then with a worried face she gets dressed and locks the door. Waiting for him to come back.

X

"They're untrained and sloppy. It won't take very long." He says as he storms down the stairs.

Octavian looks at his Lord with shining respect. "What did they think to accomplish by doing this?" he asks as he takes his wand from his pocket, preparing to fight. "It's a suicide mission."

It must be something…. He doesn't voice his thoughts out loud as he bangs open the front doors and looks out into the grounds. The rebels are all wearing deep robes of blue that are hard to distinguish in the night from the black robes of the Death Eaters. Scorching yellow phoenix badges on their chest are the only things that set them apart. Tom scowls at them. The Order of the Phoenix should be dead by now, Albus Dumbdlore was an annoying man and he created an annoying club.

Tom's dark head turns to Octavian. "Don't die; I'll need you to help me weed out who betrayed me tonight."

Octavian gives a respectable nod of his head and throws a killing curse at the back of a rebel who was dueling with a plump woman Death Eater near by and smirks when the body falls stiffly to the ground… No one said that Voldemort's followers fought nobly. Tom descends into the crowd; there are few people left standing once he raises his wand.

X

She has to fight the urge to hide in the closet when she hears footsteps by her door. They're light and quiet so she knows it isn't Tom. The door handle moves and she almost screams. It's the middle of the night, she was woken up by loud banging and Tom stormed out of here with the 'I'm going to kill people' look in his eyes. It's an understatement to say she's a bit afraid. She's pregnant, hormonal, and bloody terrified.

She hears a soft voice whisper and unlocking spell and the door rattles again. She walks backwards watching it closely with her hand to her beating heart. Who is trying to get in? Who's here? Now she understands what Tom was saying before. It can't be good.

A knock come to the door then. "Isabel?" It's a woman's voice that she doesn't recognize so she doesn't answer. "Isabel Prewett are you in there?" the voice asks with persistent knocks.

A second male voice is added to the fold. "We won't hurt you. We can to help, we were told about you by Ginny Weasley."

Her interest is perked but her heart rate has not slowed, she takes shy steps towards the door. "Who are you?"

"My name's Remus Lupin," says the soft male voice. "I was at the Burrow the night they brought you from the cemetery. Do you remember? The night they woke you up?"

She brings her hand up to her face and starts chewing on her nails, calming her nerves. "The werewolf?"

There's a moments pause on the other side of the door. "Yes…Listen, we can help you get away from this place. You'll never have to do what he wants again, but you have to open the door. "

Should she open the door? She doesn't want to leave Tom. At least she thinks she doesn't. He's the only link she has to anything she remembers from the past. Plus, he's really not so bad, at least, not all the time. More dominate footsteps are heard down the hallway.

"Isabel," the woman's voice is urgent. "Open the door so we can help you… The Death Eaters are coming." Isabel stares at the door as she hears curses being thrown and the heavy footsteps sound like they're running towards them. She can see the red light flash underneath the door. "Damn!" the woman cries angrily, she must have been hit. "There has to be ten of them coming, Remus."

The man curses and focuses on the door again. "Please, open the door."

Hearing the painful breathing of the woman strikes something in her so she reaches to the door and unlocks it. The door swings open and a tall woman with a heart shaped face and wild purple hair runs in clutching her arm, followed by a middle aged man with graying brown hair. He slams the door quickly behind him and locks it.

"They can't get in here, right?" Remus asks as he turns to Isabel who is standing fearfully against the wall. His eyes flick quickly down to her pregnant stomach in surprise and then up to her face.

"It will only open from the inside." She says breathlessly.

The purple haired woman falls against the bed and nurses her burnt arm. "That was painful, " she says and winces as she takes her wand out to heal it. "How do you think we're fairing outside?"

Remus walks to the window and pulls back the curtain. He winces. "Not well… He's summoned more fighters."

"Why did you come?" she asks in the shocked voice from deep in her throat.

They both turn to her then and watch her carefully. "We can talk about that later. We have to leave now before he realizes where we are." The man says urgently. The door starts to shake violently as Death Eaters pound on the door, they all jump. "Come on, we're apparating."

"Remus, can't you see she's pregnant?" asks the purpled haired woman as she stands from the bed. The pounding of the door has stopped and it's deathly quiet. "She won't be able to apparate."

Remus eyes Isabel up and down. "We'll just have to risk it."

He takes a step towards her and Isabel shakes out of her daze and narrows her eyes angrily. "What do you mean we'll just have to risk it? This is my baby!"

"He's the father, isn't he?" he asks referring to the Dark Lord. He's now eyeing her stomach with distaste so she covers it protectively with her hand. "It wouldn't be a loss."

"Remus!" now it's the purple haired woman getting angry. "How could you say such a thing? What if someone said that about our son when I was carrying him?"

"I'm not the Dark Lord, Nymphadora."

"It doesn't matter."

"We have to leave, and apparating is the only way." He states harshly. He turns to Isabel who's slowly backing away from them. His eyes soften. "I apologize, but it's the only way."

"What if I splinch my daughter?" she demands fiercely. "I can't apparate, it's unsafe."

"Just hold on to me and focus on keeping your body intact." Is all he says he goes to take her hand but she moves away. "We have to leave."

"It's alright," says the woman Nymphadora softly. "It will be ok…. We'll do it as safely as possible and then we can get you away from this evil place and you'll never have to look at Lord Voldemort again."

"Isabel, don't listen to them." The smooth, deep voice of Tom filters in through the door and she looks at it in surprise. "Open the door for me, sweetheart." He's cool and collected and she realizes that he must have been listening to most of the conversation.

She takes a step towards the door. "You won't have to be locked up when you're with us." The woman says pleadingly. "Ginny told us about how good you were to her and her mother… None of us will harm you the way he did… we won't force you."

"Don't go with them." Tom's voice is starting to take a harsh edge and she can picture his scarlet eyes glaring at her. "Your place is here, with me."

Remus is looking out the window again. "They're putting up the wards again." He says panicking. "We have to leave right now."

"Will you come with us?" asks the purple haired woman. "Do you want to be free?"

Tom kicks the door, his temper getting away with him. "Open the fucking door, Isabel."

"Come with us." Pleads the older man.

She doesn't say anything, she doesn't move. She feels as though she's being torn into two parts. Would she really have any freedom if she went with these people? Tom would always find her. She starts playing with her wedding ring, he'll track her down and these two people will be killed… without mercy. She can't go with them, she won't leave her husband.

She opens her mouth to tell them to leave with out her but Remus grabs her arm and apparates her away without waiting for her answer. Decisions about her life always seem to be made with out her consent.

X

She falls down when they reach solid ground. "I was going to say no!" she cries loudly as she looks down to her stomach to make sure there's no damage. There doesn't seem to be so she glares up at the man named Remus Lupin with hatred in her eyes. Tom is going to be so mad and he's probably going to think that she went willing because she opened the door for them. "He's going to find me and he's going to kill you all. I was going to tell you to leave with out me!" She states fiercely, batting away the hand that's trying to help her up.

She stands up in a huff and looks around. They appear to be on an abandoned muggle street. "Here." Says the woman, placing a piece of paper into Isabel hands.

She looks down at it and reads the tight script on the front. "fiddle sticks?" she questions.

"Fiddle sticks."

"Fiddle sticks."

After they all say it a creaking noise is heard and she looks up to see an old oak tree growing and expanding, turning into something that resembles a house. The branches stretch as the trunk becomes fat and a door pops into few, along with round glass windows. She raises an eyebrow at it, it's almost comical.

"This is our new hideout." Remus says as he leads her to the bright red door. He taps three times.

"9, 7, 2 ,5." Whispers the voice on the other side of the door.

"22, 32, 1." Remus answers and the door opens.

What was that? Isabel slowly walks into the literal "tree house" and can't help but scowl at the inside of it. Who made this place and why? It looks like a story book character would live here, a squirrel story book character. She stands by the closed door as her two "rescuers" walk further into the house. They're in a small living room with narrow blue couches that surround a small round table. Everything seems to be circular in this place, the windows, and the pillows on the couches, every table, and even the seats of the chairs have a rounded edge to it. It's so different from the timeless elegance of Slytherin's castle that it almost hurts her eyes to see it. Again Isabel is left to wonder what lunatic lives here.

To the right side of the room is a small, iron, spiral stair case. She watches it shake as feet appear and walk down it. Ginny and a few others come into view and start making their way over to her. She looks happier, Isabel notes, her red hair is cut short to her ears and there's a lingering smile on her face. She stops dead in her tracts a few feet in front of her.

"Sweet Merlin you're pregnant." She states flatly as she looks at Isabel's rounded belly. She never told Ginny when she found out, she was too embarrassed, too scared.

"It was only a matter of time." She scoffs. Not really sure why she feels the need to be nasty to her. Maybe the fact that she doesn't want to be in this silly looking place… or away from Tom.

"Yes, of course." She answers with a frown. "You must be exhausted."

"It's four in the morning, of course I am." Again with the nastiness but she can't help herself. Tom must be rubbing off on her.

Ginny nods her head and vaguely introduces the four people that are with her. Isabel doesn't care who they are and she doesn't listen to their names. She feels the ring on her finger burn and she looks down at it. Tom is looking for her. He will find her and burn this stupid looking house down… probably with everyone of these people in side of it.

"Ginny," she says a little more softly, interrupting the story she was currently telling to one of her friends. "I have to go back to him."

After saying that she receives many sympathetic smiles and then she realizes with annoyance that most of these people pity her. "He won't be able to get to us here."

"Yes, he will." She says solidly.

Ginny puts her hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry." She says lightly. "We'll take care of you. Tom Riddle won't bother you anymore. "

"Ginny… He'll kill you." She looks to the others. "He'll kill all of you and I won't be able to stop him."

Another onslaught of pitiful looks and sympathetic gazes meet her and she almost yells at them. "We can talk tomorrow." Insists Ginny. "Now, you should rest."

She reluctantly follows her up the little spiral stair case and is ushered into a small room with a round doorway. The room is painted sea foam green with shining white bead board along the bottom half of the walls. A small wooden bed with a cover of white lace rests along the far wall and above it is a painting of a hoping little bunny, it's nauseating. Obviously fake daisies are in pale pink vases all over the place, like the bedside table, the shelves, the vanity. Ginny leaves to let her sleep off her fatigue so Isabel plops down on the bed and looks around the room suspiciously, hating everything she sees. It's too bright and cheerful in here and she finds her self missing the dark twisted hallways of Tom's castle.

The baby kicks against her stomach and she looks down at it lovingly. "Don't worry little one." She says softly. "Daddy will be here soon."

X

Lord Voldemort and his follower's apparate themselves to an abandoned dead end street in Ireland. The smooth paved roads and the tall street lamp make them see they're in a muggle neighborhood. He rolls his eyes at that and sneers. His gaze then focus on the exact point where his wife should be.

What he sees does not make sense to him at all but being a wizard he knows that many things can not be taken at face value. So he walks cautiously up to the old tree while his followers look at him curiously.

"My Lord?" one of them asks.

"She's in here." He answers as he circles the thick trunk.

"In the tree, My Lord?" asks a younger Death Eater that obviously doesn't know that you are to never take such a tone with him.

He glares heatedly at the youth until he lowers his eyes. "Does it surprise you? You are a wizard, are you not?"

The Death Eater wisely keeps his mouth shut. Tom stands away from the tree and glares at its bark. "Burn it." He says lightly.

"My Lord," This time it's Lucius Malfoy, stepping out of line. "What if it kills her?"

Tom smirks then and takes out his wand. "It won't." he answers knowing she can't die and thinking that she'll get out before the flames can cause her pain and even if it did… she would deserve it for leaving. No, he's sure someone with a wand will help her out before any real damage is done. "Now do as I say and kill anyone that comes out."

They raise their wands and shoot balls of fire at the tree that instantly goes up in flames.

X

She starts coughing. Something is compressing down on her lungs and it hurts. It's also hot, why's it so hot? She stands up and opens the stupid round door to look in the hallway. Other heads are poking out of the small rooms and looking questionably at the dark smoke that's billowing up from the stair case. It wafts it way towards her and obscures her vision and makes her head hurt. She almost passes out.

She starts coughing again and can hear painful screams as people run frantically around trying to get out. Has Tom come, and if he has is, this really the way he's handling the situation? She has one thought and one thought only, that she has to protect her child. She goes into her room and shuts the door, pulling the cover down to the floor to muffle the smoke coming in from below the crack of the door. Her eyes have started to water and her head is feeling light. She runs to the window and tries to pry it open, it won't budge. She doesn't have her wand. She doesn't have anything to protect her from the flames. She is going to kill him when she gets out of here.

She starts banging on the window furiously as the screams and yells start to escalate. The fire must be getting closer. She grabs a small chair from the corner and crashes into the glass, shattering it and leaving sharp edges around the white, circular frame. Once the window is broken she takes a deep breath of the cool night time air, relieving her lungs of some of its strain and composing her mind back into focus. She looks over her shoulder at the door and she can see flames licking the edges. She can't die; she'd just burn… and stay alive the whole time while it happened. Why does she have to feel pain?

Suddenly panicked she puts the chair down and climbs up to the window. It's barely big enough for her to get through but she sure as hell is going to try. She grabs the ledge and screams when shards of broken glass pierce through her skin. Again she chances a look over her shoulder, the fire is here. It's hot and she's sweating. She can barely breathe… She looks down at her stomach and with renewed sense of purpose she lifts her self up, ignoring the glass that is embedding its way into her hands. She steadies herself on her knees when she reaches the ledge and can barely feel the pain of the glass cutting into her knees. She's in survival mode now.

She cusses out loud when she realizes she's on the second floor so she shakily makes her way out on one of the branches and screams out loud again when she feels something scorch the bottom of her foot. With glass still in her skin, she crawls on her hands and knees across the heavy branch. Trying to get as far away from the fire as possible. She realizes now that she's in an even worse position then before because when she looks down she can see how high up she really is. Magic works in a crazy way because the tree is a tree once more and when she looks back she can't see the window she just crawled out of she can only see flames climb up towards her. The bark tears up more of her skin and a stray twig cuts her cheek.

She loses her balance from surprise and begins falling. The one thought in her mind is that she failed and just killed her daughter. She clenches her eyes shut, anticipating the hard impact of the ground and all of the horrid new pains that will go along with it but when she lands on something soft her eyes snap open. The ground must have had a cushioning charm on it. Her hair is plastered to her skin from sweat and tears, her clothes are tinted black as well as areas of her skin from the smoke and ash. She sits up, still coughing from the smoke that's still residing in her lungs and looks around her. People are just appearing from the tree now and Death Eaters are picking them off easily with killing curses.

"There you are."

She looks up at Tom who's standing over her with a smile on his face. What the hell is he smiling about? She glares at him in total hatred and his smile falters a little bit. No matter how mad she's been she has never looked at him like that.

"Why did you do that?" she hisses out and then coughs. She feels like she may start coughing up blood if she keeps going.

"I had to get them to come out somehow." He says and holds out his hand to try to help her up. She totally ignores it. "The place needed a password that I knew I wouldn't be able to get. This worked."

"Worked?" she says in a deadly whisper. She stands up then and it's now that Tom can see the jagged pieces of glass sticking out of her knees and hands. Blood is dripping from her wounds and pouring down her white skin like a waterfall. There are tiny scratches covering her shins and forearms from crawling across the bark and there's a long red scratch on her face. She is completely torn up. "I can't die, but our daughter can. You could have killed our daughter, Tom!"

"Why didn't one of your resistance friends help you get out with their wand?" he asks fiercely. He really thought they would but by the looks of it they didn't. It hurts him to see her like this… and he feels almost guilty. But guilt is an unwanted emotion and it turns into anger.

"They were too busy running for their lives!" She coughs again and leans to one side to place her weight on the foot that hadn't been burned. She places a hand on her stomach.

"Who knows what all this smoke inhalation is going to do to her. She's probably going to have all sorts of problems now!" she yells spitefully. "And it's all your fault!"

The rebels are gone, most of them dead and his followers have started to crowd around him, waiting for their next orders. "Don't speak to me like that." He hisses. He won't have her disrespect him in front of everyone.

"I will speak to you how ever I want!"

He decides to turn the tables on her. "You were the one who went with them, you brought this on yourself."

Something flashes in her eyes as she steps up to him. She smacks him hard across the face. All of the Death Eaters that saw it gasp and then fall silent; you could hear a needle drop. Tom slowly faces her with a red cheek, bloody with scratches because of the glass still lodged in her hands. His eyes are flaming red and he sets his jaw menacingly.

"You will regret that." He says through clenched teeth.

"There are a lot of things I regret. Like wanting to stay with you when they came for me." She says hatefully. "But this is not one of them."

He grabs her arm then and she doesn't even wince because she has too many other painful things on her body right now to cancel it out. "I will make you regret it." He sneers in a promise of pain.

Blinded by anger and pain that's all because of him she smirks. She wants to hurt him, she wants to embarrass him, and right now she doesn't give a damn about the consequences. She stands a little taller and says it loud enough so all can hear.

"Get your hands off of me, you filthy Mudblood."


	14. Chapter 14

Time seemed to have stopped and the whole world has fallen silent. Tom stands straight and tall, looking deep into her eyes. She doesn't back down from his glare.

"What did you just say?" he says so low that his followers would have to strain their ears to hear it.

"You heard me."

He addresses the crowd, his eyes never leaving hers. "You'll have to forgive my wife. All that smoke must have gotten to her head." He says steadily but his jaw is twitching and he's gripping his wand so tight that his knuckles have turned white. "Burn the bodies and kill any stragglers." He tells them and then grabs her arm. Apparating them back to Slytherin's castle.

They're in their bedroom now, where this whole thing started. Idly she wonders how Tom broke the locking spell, but she doesn't care to ask. She shuffles away from him and ignores his existence completely as she pulls shards of glass from her skin. She's too angry. She's too upset to face him.

"What gave you any right to call me that foul name?" he asks again in a low, calm voice. She knows that voice well; she knows he wants to kill her right now.

She winces when she pulls a piece of glass out that was at a weird angle in her skin. "It's true isn't it?" she asks lightly as if she didn't just insult the Dark Lord in front of all of his followers.

She doesn't pay attention to him as he raises his fist and she goes flying to the ground, hitting the floor with a loud thump. She didn't even have time to think before his fist comes down on her again. He's not slapping or backhanding her, he's actually punching her… and hard. She falls to the side and keeps her head down with her arms supporting her weight so she doesn't land on her stomach. Her hair falls all around her, blocking her face. Tom's breathing becomes jagged.

"You ungrateful little bitch." He says as he pulls his hand back and towers over her.

"What do I have to be grateful for, Tom?" she asks while keeping her head down so he won't hit her again. "Being with you?" she tries to laugh then, but her lips cracks. She looks up at him then. "As you can see, you're no prince charming."

"I should kill you." He hisses out while glaring at her crumpled form on the ground.

"It would be the nicest thing you've ever done for me."

With an angry growl he grabs her arm and pulls her up. His eyes are flashing dangerously; he's never been more angry or upset. He grabs her left hand and pulls the ring off her finger roughly, scraping her knuckle in the process. He then goes to the locket around her neck and tears it painfully from her. Her head jerks forward from the force and she can feel a new bruise forming on the back of her neck. She recovers quickly though, and tilts her head up to look him in the eyes. She knows now that he probably is going to kill her but she refuses to back down and she refuses to cry.

With narrowed eyes he's taking her in and with a calm fury he puts the locket and ring in his pocket. He takes out his wand and points it at her heart. This was meant to scare her; this was meant to make her see the seriousness of her actions. She was supposed to be groveling at his feet right now, asking for forgiveness, but she wasn't. She was matching his glare with fierce determination and she was standing tall despite all of her wounds.

"You had better get down on your knees and beg me for forgiveness, little girl."

Her eyes flash with indignation. "Not this time." She says clearly. "After what you did tonight you should be begging me."

A few windows bust and shatter because of his anger that is reaching a new height. No one tells Lord Voldemort to beg. His fury is starting to over ride his senses as he stares into her blank, emotionless face. Then she does another unthinkable thing, she turns her back on him. Like he wasn't important; like it didn't matter that the greatest dark wizard of the age was pointing his wand at her with the intention to kill.

"Oh, look. The sun is rising." She says in a quiet, conversational voice that angers him even more, if that's possible.

She watches the pinks and oranges take over the sky as the sun breaks dawn. She's waiting for him to say the words… she waiting to finally be done with all of this. She looks down at her stomach and places her hand where the baby is. Thinking she's failed the new life that's inside of her, but convinced she'll see her in the next life.

"I'll hold you soon, Calpurnia." She whispers down to the baby in her womb.

She closes her eyes waiting for him to get it over with, but instead she hears him say a curse word. She doesn't turn around. Then he makes a frustrated growl and the stomping of his boots echo through the quiet chamber. The door slams and she turns around in surprise, he's no longer in the room. He left.

She doesn't know if she's relieved or disappointed.

X

He should have killed her; he should have torn her heart out and laughed as she fell to the floor. But he couldn't. He couldn't bring himself to say the words. She had disrespected him in the worst way possible; many a good men had died for lesser offences, but not her. Maybe it was because she was carrying his child… but he wasn't thinking of that... he was thinking of her. What an ungrateful whore. He's the Dark Lord, he could have any woman he wanted and he chose her and this is how she repays him.

Mudblood. She had dared to all him a Mudblood. Him, Lord Voldemort, the most powerful and feared man in the world. She had known him, she shared his bed and yet she did this. He should have done something to her and her saying it shouldn't have hurt him so much. He couldn't kill her, he wouldn't. Why?

"Why?!" he shouts, throwing his hand along the desk before him. Making everything fall to the floor.

Why did she call him that disgusting name and how could she leave him in the first place? He thought his heart stopped beating for a moment when the words left her lips. Did she realize how close to home that word was for him? And in front of all of his Death Eaters! To top that off she had slapped him. Him! Who did she think she was!? He takes out his wand and starts blasting random things in the room.

She must have been slipping some potion into my drink, he thinks fiercely. That would explain the feelings he's having now and the reason why he couldn't curse her. She is a witch after all, and she's a pretty powerful one at that. Yes, that must be it. She had done something to him, something that played with his emotions. He sits down and thinks on this new train of a thought while clenching and unclenching his fists. She has defiantly done something to him. That's the only explanation for this pain in his chest. He's convinced.

With a new found purpose and a burst of energy he bounds up the stairs and throws open the bed room door. She's not in there, but the bathroom door is open so he stops over and marches inside.

The water is running in the bathtub and she's sitting on the edge with her legs submerged in the water that reaches her knees. She's cleaned off all of the ash and blood from her body and has a towel tied around her to cover her nakedness. She put her wet hair in a high bun to keep it out of her face and she has a wash cloth in her hands that she's running down her legs, wincing at the contact. He looks to the sink where there are small shards of glass covered in blood. She must have taken them out herself and set them there.

He shakes his head and focuses on the woman in front of him. "What have you done to me?" he barks out.

She jumps with a start and turns to him, surprised. Tears are in her eyes and falling down her cheeks, cheeks that are bruised darkly because of him. He had expected her to still have the cold, emotionless face she had before, he's a little taken aback by the obvious pain in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asks in a voice thick with tears, though she's trying to sound strong.

"I know you've done something." He continues. "A potion… or a spell."

"I don't know what your talking about." She says tiredly. She holds the wash cloth tightly between her hands to deaden the pain of the cuts there.

"Yes, you do!" he shouts. "Why couldn't I kill you before?" when she doesn't answer him he goes to her and grabs her wrist. The wash cloth she was holding falls down into the bloody water and a sob escapes her lips. "Tell me."

"I haven't done anything." She says, openly crying now because of his fingers digging into her cuts. "I swear I haven't." Her anger from before is starting to break and is being replaced by despair. "Please, Tom. Don't hurt me anymore."

His anger starts to deflate as he takes in all of her bruises, cuts, and depressed eyes. He has hurt her a lot to night. He drops her wrist and looks at the wall, suddenly feeling put out. He walks away from her and stands in front of a window in the bedroom. The morning sun is blinding and he notices now how tired he really is. He didn't get much sleep last night. He stands there for what feels like hours.

"Tom?"

"I don't want to talk to you." He says spitefully.

Footsteps gently come up behind him but he doesn't turn around. She sighs loudly before speaking. "I'm sorry." She says quietly, almost sadly. She puts a shy hand out and touches his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called you the hurtful name."

His nostrils flair in a bitter sense of shame courses though him. "Is that what you think I am?"

She shakes her head, even though he can't see her, and puts both hands on his shoulders. She rests her forehead against his back. She's hurting and in pain and wants to be comforted… even if it's from the person who caused it.

"No, I don't. I just wanted to hurt you because I was hurting…I don't want you to be angry with me anymore. I don't mean to be ungrateful. Please, don't be mad at me." She finishes with a pitiful little sob, feeling completely broken.

He silent for a few moments, he doesn't turn around. "I really didn't think you'd be in any danger." He says quietly. "I thought someone would help you out."

She knows that that is as closest to an apology as she's going to get from him so she stands on her tip toes and kisses the back of his neck, wanting to resolve this. She doesn't think she'd be able to take any more traumas today. He turns around to face her and his anger is gone, being replaced by some melancholy feeling. He brings his hand up to her face but she flinches away.

"Sit on the bed," he tells her and when she does he takes out his wand and walks over to her. Panic filters across her face for a moment. "I'm going to heal you." He says quietly so she's not afraid.

He kneels down in front of her and gently grabs her ankle, lifting her foot up to his knee. He runs his wand along all of the wounds on her leg and then works his way around her body; closing up cuts and making bruises and burns disappear.

"You will never speak to me that way again. Is that clear?" he says harshly as his wand mends the scraps on her forearms. He chances a glance up at her and she nods her head.

He goes back to healing her body and when he's finished he places his hands on either side of her body on the bed. He looks up to her and notices she's crying again.

"I didn't want to leave you." She says. "I was going to tell them no, but they grabbed me before I could answer."

He nods his head tightly. "I believe you."

For a moment she looks relieved and then she places her small hands on his shoulders and leans down to kiss his cheek, the one she had smacked. When she pulls back she runs her fingers over the scratches while he stays perfectly still. She takes his wand out of his left hand and points it to the wound, healing it with a quietly murmured spell.

"I'm sorry, Tom." She apologizes for the both of them, knowing he won't.

He brings his hands up to tangle in her hair and he kisses her deeply. He can feel her tears as he brings his fingers down to undo the towel that's covering her body. Once it's off of her he throws it over his shoulder and places a kiss on her stomach, where their daughter is. He can feel her body trembling under his fingers as they explore her body. He looks up to her face.

"Will you hold me?" she asks softly like a little child who's been hurt.

He nods his head and undresses as she burrows under the covers. Once divested of his clothes he slides in beside her and pulls her to him, feeling her warm, smooth skin against his own. He sighs tiredly and they sleep the rest of the day away.

X

She awakes to a sudden pain that causes her to jump up in surprise. She looks to her right and sees Tom sleeping soundly, he usually wakes up before her, or when she does, so he must be tired to sleep through this. Again another pain from her stomach and she barely muffles a cry. Something isn't right. It shouldn't hurt like this; the baby isn't due for two more months.

She stands up and quickly shuffles to the dresser, pulling out one of Tom's shirts because they fit her better then any of her own. Then she has to brace herself against the wall when another pain shoots through. Now her tired body can't help but cry out loud. That sound wakes him and he's by her side in a second.

"What's going on?" he demands as her fingers find the edge of the dresser and hold onto it tightly with her eyes slammed shut. "What's wrong with you?"

"Something's not right…" she says as tears escape down her face. "Something's wrong... The baby can't come now, it's too soon. It's too soon!" After she manages to say that she screams and falls to the ground, hugging her stomach with her arms. "Tom, what's happening!?"

He doesn't know, and it angers him that he can't answer. Panicked by her distress he throws on a pair of pants and leaves to summon the medi-witch. She's slumped against the wall with her hands clenching the material of his shirt when he returns with the shocked looking healer and nurses.

"Oh, my." Says the woman, eyeing the girl on the floor. "She must be going in to labor."

"But it's too soon!" she yells again.

Tom watches through narrowed eyes as the nurses help her to the bed; he notices water running down her legs and has to look away. The medi-witch checks between her legs and looks up to him.

"She's fully dilated." She says with her face set in a frown. "We'll have to deliver her in here." She says and motions for the nurses she brought to pull out the sanitary equipment and make ready the bed.

Isabel watches with fearful eyes as they do this and sweat has caused her hair to plaster to her forehead. "Why is this happening?" she asks helplessly, sitting up on her elbows. "Is she going to be alright?"

The medi-witch gives her a soft smile. "We'll do all we can." Is all she says.

She screams out again and grabs the sheets tightly in her fists, her eyes are closed and she's breathing heavily through her nostrils. Tom stands by the window watching this all happen before him, not knowing what to do, or how to feel. He's not use to not being in control. A nurse scurries by him and he grabs her arm.

"Why did this happen?" he asks harshly and the small girl squeaks and lowers her head.

"I-I don't k-know, My Lord." She stutters with a red face, totally frightened to talk to him.

He knows he must look a mess; he's barefoot and shirtless, with only a pair of black slacks covering himself. His hair is still unkempt and messy from waking but he doesn't care how unprofessional he looks right now. Isabel yells out again and he tightens his grip on the young nurse.

"Why is she having the baby now?!" he yells at her and the others in the room look to him fearfully.

"It could be a lot of things." answers the Medi-witch, trying to help the girl as she situates Isabel's legs in the proper position. "The most likely is unhealthy stress to the mother….like abuse." She says and sends him a pointed look over his shoulder.

She had warned him about this and she can see the faint traces of cuts and bruises on the young woman's body, they must have been newly healed. His anger flares as he looks into the middle aged face of the healer. How dare she look at him in such a way and take such a tone with him. When this is all over with he just might turn his wand on her for her audacity. He's glaring daggers into medi-witch and he has yet to let go of the poor nurse whose eyes are starting to water, Isabel notices this.

"Don't be upset." She says softly through her pain. "She didn't mean anything by it."

Tom pushes the nurse who goes stumbling away from him. He hates it when people tell him what to do. He was about ready to say that when she calls out again and the medi-witch tells her to push. Now fascinated by what's going on he walks closer to the bed, beside his wife. Who's breathing deeply and her face is screwed up in pain. Something possesses him to take her hand and fall to his knees beside her. She looks to him and gives him a thankful smile, then another contraction comes and she has to push, she squeezes his hand painfully tight.

"That's it, you're doing great." The woman says. "Just keep pushing, you're doing fine."

"It hurts." She says softly, taking in a shaky breath and letting a tear fall down her face. "I don't want to push anymore." She says shaking her head like a small child.

"You have to." Says the healer. "We have to get this baby out healthy. You want that, right?"

"Yes." She nods and takes a deep breath before she has to push again. "Oh, god it hurts!"

Looking at her now, Tom is struck with how young she seems to him, with her pale skin and light freckles across her nose and cheeks. He brings his free hand up and pushes some hair away from her face. He takes the hand that's gripping his up to his mouth and he kisses it lightly. "You can do this, sweetheart." He says softly and she looks at him like she's never seen him before.

The labor carries on for two more hours with encouraging words from the medi-witch and Tom holding her hand tightly. He can barely stand her screams and cries and the helpless way she keeps looking at him, but eventually they die down and are rewarded with a new cry all together. The nurses rush over and swaddle the new born in a blanket, carrying her over to the tiny incubator they had brought to clean her off and check her for any problems she might have. After passing the afterbirth Isabel slumps against the pillows and closes her eyes tightly. Letting her chest rise and fall with deep, tired breaths.

In a trance Tom walks over to where the nurses are to see his daughter, small and pink crying in one of the nurses arms. She's swaddled now in a purple blanket with a small white hat covering her head.

"She's small." He remarks to no one in particular and the women jump to hear him speak.

"Y-Yes, My Lord." Says one nervous nurse with frizzy hair. "She's premature but healthy; she'll gain weight in no time."

He nods his head. "I want to hold her." he demands, surprising himself and everyone in the room.

The woman, with shaky hands, gives the small child to him. He takes her and awkwardly holds her against his bare chest. He looks down at her with a warm, uncharacteristic expression on his face. He brings his hand down to touch her small fingers, doing the ancient parental ritual of counting them to make sure she's perfect. As he knows she will be. Looking down at her now he knows he'll spend the rest of his life protecting her.

"Oh, damn." The medi-witch, who was still over tending to Isabel says in alarm. "Sarah, come here. Now!"

The frizzy haired nurse runs over to her and Tom shakes out of his daze and turns around to the bed. The medi-witch is between his wife's legs once more and is trying to stop the blood that is now coming from between them.

"What's going on?" He demands as they scurry around. He's not use to not being charge; he's not use to not knowing what's going on.

"She's hemorrhaging."

The nurse sounds worried and that worries him more. He hands his daughter off to one of the nurses by the bed and walks up to where Isabel is laying. She's very pale now, her lips are as white as her skin and the bed is starting to become soaked with blood. Again he feels a strange sense of panic and he puts his hand in his pocket to calm his frustration. The ring and the locket are still in there. He looks at the girl on the bed again as her blood drains away from her and the women in the room try to stop it. She could die and it would be his fault.

Suddenly afraid he pulls the locket out of his pocket and puts it around her neck again while the nurses and healer give him strange, annoyed looks. The locket glows for a moment and then fits to her neck once more.

They're able to stop the bleeding, Isabel falls asleep from exhaustion, while Tom slumps down in a chair beside the window and can't look anyone in the eye.

X

She wakes up with a headache and her eyes focus on Tom who's sitting in the chair by the window. She almost smiles at his appearance, his hair is sticking up every which way and his bare chest is pale against the darkness of the leather chair. He looks so young. It almost makes him endearing… almost… He's looking straight at her and she's left to wonder how long he's been staring.

She remembers how unnerved she used to be by his intense gaze at Hogwarts, and how nervous it made her... and her friends. Her mind goes back to when he first asked her to be his girlfriend, well, not asked… Tom Riddle doesn't ask for anything, he more like demanded it.

She was sitting in the library working on an essay for potions when her friend Carrie nudged her in the ribs.

"Ow," she said, while glaring and rubbing her sore side. "What do you want?"

She nodded her head over to the table four rows down from them. "He's staring at you again."

She looked up and quickly looked away. Tom's intense, calm gaze was burning right into her skin. She always wondered what on earth he was staring at and why he felt the need to look so… hungry while he did it. Half the time she felt him looking at her she had the urge to look in the mirror to see if there was something on her face. Isabel lifted her head shyly to look at him again and he lifted one dark eye brow, causing her to blush deeper and bury her head in the book on the table. It doesn't help that he's so handsome. He uses that to his advantage.

"Izzy," she says, her nickname, what her friends use to call her… when she had friends… "I don't like the way he looks at you, it makes me uncomfortable."

She snorted into her book, unwilling to look up because she knows he's still watching. "You're uncomfortable? I'm the one who he's staring at all the time."

"Maybe he fancies you." Carrie said in a light voice as she played with her quill. "He is pretty cute, you know."

She scowls at that. Tom had been making her very uncomfortable the past few months. Following her around, smirking that devilish smirk of his, and brushing past her in the halls, always touching her in some way. "He barely even talks to me."

"You must make him shy." Carrie said with a sly smile.

Richard, another friend who was sitting across from her looks up with a troubled expression on his face. "Don't get involved with him, Izzy. There's something not right about the way he acts."

She hesitantly looked up again; Tom wasn't looking anymore. He was writing something down with his black feathered quill and he seemed to be concentrating hard on his paper. Isabel let out a sigh of relief and stood to return the book she had been pretending to read. Placing it in its appropriate spot, she then headed down another isle to take a text she needed for the next essay she had to write. Professor Slughorn had been giving them essays to write like it was going out of style.

She saw the book on healing potions on one on of the top shelves, so she stretched her arm out, trying to reach it. Being too short to get to it that way; she tried again by placing a hand on the ledge near her chest and stepped up to the lowest shelf to give herself more height. She stretched her right arm out again and her fingers barely grazed the edge of the book. She went onto her tippy toes to get closer but froze when she felt a warmth press into her back. A strong hand snatched the book she was trying to get and when they stepped away she spun around with a glare on her face.

"What…" she started, but stopped when she saw Tom smirking at her with the book dangling in his hands. She stood up a little straighter and put her hands on her hips. "Give me the book, Riddle."

"This book?" he asked lightly as he eyed the blue cover with interest. She knew why most houses didn't trust Slytherin's and Tom was their King.

"Just give it to me." She said irritably, putting a hand out.

He eyed her up and down then, making her feel totally exposed and vulnerable. She had taken a step back and he noticed because a small smile played on his lips. "And what do I get if I give it back to you?"

Her face flushed red then, not expecting that from him. "A thank you." she answered with a weak smile.

He smirked, with amusement dancing in his eyes. "No, I don't think that will do."

Frustrated and hating the fact that he was playing with her she rolled her eyes. "What do you want then?"

He took a step close to her then. Dangerously close, she could feel his warm breath on her face and could smell his cologne. He had her feeling like a trapped animal. A slow smile came to his face and he placed his hand on the bookshelf behind her.

"What do I want?"

She nodded her head and gulped loudly, suddenly nervous. "What do you want?" she repeated.

Tom Riddle had grown up in an orphanage. No one ever gave him anything, so he learned how to take things for himself.

"I want you."

She didn't know the kind of person he was then. She just knew that he was handsome and smart… She didn't know what he would turn into… so when he said that she could feel her heart start beating and couldn't help the nervous smile that came to her face. She couldn't say anything to him and eventually he stepped back.

"You'll be going to Hogsmeade with me this Saturday." He had said in an authority tone that she grew to know so well. "Meet me at the doors at ten and I don't want you talking to that Richard Jones kid anymore."

He winked and handed the book back. She watched him walk away with a strange smile on her face. She should have known then, she shouldn't have given in to his demand… but she did… and here she is… back in Slytherin's castle and just gave birth to his child.

"Where is she?" she asks in a hoarse voice.

He stands up and walks over to her. "She's in the nursery. There's going to be a nurse staying here to help and watch over her health."

She nods her head but doesn't look at him. This is his entire fault to begin with; he's the reason why she was born early. The mattress sinks down as he sits beside her and she looks the opposite way.

His hand on her face makes her turn to him. "What should her middle name be? You already want her first name to be Calpurnia, right?"

He's trying to be nice to her now and she nods her head at his question. "You can decide." She says weakly, still tired from giving birth.

He sits back and thinks for a moment. "How about Calpurnia Marie?"

A small smile comes to her face. "That's my middle name." she says.

He looks at her very seriously then. "Yes, I know."

His voice tells her that he knows just about everything about her, that he pays attention to little things like that… and that he's sorry for what he did today.


	15. Chapter 15

Tom groans into the pillow and attempts to cover his ears with his hands. "It is bloody four o'clock in the morning."

"She needs to eat." Answers Isabel tiredly. She stands from the bed and puts her feet into a pair of slippers before yawning loudly. She stretches her body and cracks her back. "I don't understand why you feel the need to whine so much. I'm the one that has to get up and feed her."

"I know, but every three hours seems a bit extensive, doesn't it?" Another loud screech reaches their ears and Tom winces. "I told you we need to get a nanny for this type of thing."

She rolls her eyes but doesn't feel the need to answer him. He was the one who just had to have children; he should have been prepared for the consequences. Her sour mood immediately changes when she walks into the nursery where their daughter is crying for her from her crib. She picks the baby up in her arms and smiles down at the little girl.

"You are annoying your father to no end, little one." she runs her fingers through Calpurnia's jet black hair before situating her so she can feed from her breast. "He deserves it, of course." She says quietly with a smirk.

Closing her eyes, she leans her head back against the edge of the chair and sighs loudly. She finds it odd that such a small and vulnerable thing can come from some one like Tom. He is a terrible man, but how terrible is he really and since she's had the baby where does that put her now? She'd be lost with out him and he's a bastard for making it that way…. But she's too tired to care right now.

Once the baby is full and changed she rocks her back to sleep and then puts her back in the cradle. With another loud yawn she walks back into the bed room and huddles under the covers. It's early December now so the old castle is cold. She scoots over to Tom's bare torso and buries her feet under his legs.

"You're feet are freezing." He states, while turning his back on her and attempting to move away.

"All you do is whine." She says as she scoots closer to him yet again and wraps her arms around him.

His body shivers. "I do not."

"Yes, you do." She plants her body right along his and rests her head against his neck.

"You are so fucking cold." He complains again. "I have to be up in one hour. I just want to get some sleep!"

"Well, it's your fault. You are the one who wanted a baby and you're the one who wants to live in this ridiculous old, ice box of a home...and it's also your fault that you have to be up early. You pretty much rule the whole damn world. I think you can be late for a meeting."

"If I'm not punctual that makes other people think it's okay," he snaps and then makes a weird frustrated sound. "Why am I even talking to you? Go to sleep."

She snuggles up a bit closer to him to suck in his body heat. With a loud annoyed sigh he turns around and takes her in his arms. She smiles against his chest. "Thank you."

"Stop talking or I'll make you sleep on the floor."

She smiles and closes her eyes. Tom is gone when she wakes up and with a stretch of her body she gets dressed, brushes her teeth, and then goes to the baby. While she's putting a small blue dress on Calpurnia she marvels at how much she's grown in the few months she's been here. When she was first born she was so small that she didn't even look real, but now she's perfectly healthy.

She smiles down at her ice blue eyes and makes a little cooing sound. She looks so much like Tom, having inherited all of his beautiful features like the coal black hair, light ivory complexion, and striking eyes. Some times when she cries Isabel half worries that her eyes will turn scarlet if she gets angry enough. That's a frightening thought.

After a quick breakfast she lifts Calpurnia to her shoulder and begins walking around the castle. There really isn't much else to do. She has no one to visit and no place to go. Her family is all dead and Tom probably killed all his family members just for existing. Again she stomps down a flash of worry that goes through her mind. He wouldn't hurt them now; he wouldn't let anyone hurt them either. He's not a very loving man but she thinks a part of him, somewhere deep down inside of him, has some fond feeling for her and their child. Hopefully.

"My Lady." Bellatrix twitches as she bows down.

"Oh," Isabel says coldly. "I didn't see you there Mrs. Lestrange."

"You are looking well." Says Bella, in a clearly disappointed voice. Isabel had been on bed rest for a few weeks after the birth, she was weak for a while. "and little Calpurnia looks healthy now."

Her eyes flash maliciously, making Isabel hug the baby to her chest a little tighter. "Yes, thank you." She says levelly and begins walking again.

"Do you mind if I walk with you?" the older woman asks. Isabel eyes her skeptically. What's she playing at?

"Actually I was just going to go to the library." She says quickly, to get the point across with out having to out right say no.

Bellatrix smiles a twisted smile. "I will go with you." She says and starts following the younger girl when she begins walking. She looks down at the little baby in Isabel's arms. "The Dark Lord must have been so disappointed when he found out you were having a girl."

Isabel scowls. "He was not." She says heatedly as she brings her hand up to cover Calpurnia's ears. She knows she's too young to understand but she still doesn't want that poison to go into her brain.

Bellatrix ignores her tone. "Yes, he must have been. Our Lord had always wanted a male heir to help carry on the Slytherin name."

"Girls are just as capable as boys." She snaps.

They finally reach the library door but to Isabel's annoyance Bellatrix doesn't leave. She follows her inside and shadows her steps while she scans the rows for a good book. She is greatly uncomfortable now and she has half a mind to go tell Tom. Didn't she torture this woman once? Why is she following her around? She grabs a book and walks to one to the chairs to sit down. Bella follows and sits across from her with a weird look on her demented face.

"Is there something you want?" snaps Isabel meanly.

"Can I hold her?" she asks, nodding down to the baby who had fallen asleep.

Isabel almost laughs. "No, you can't."

Anger flashes in Bellatrix's eyes and Isabel almost feels guilty…. But there is no way that that woman is going to hold her child. "You know, when I was carrying the Dark Lords son he showered me with all kinds of gifts. What has he given you?"

The book falls to the ground and Isabel's heart starts to beat loudly. "What?" she says with a dry throat. She must have misunderstood.

Bella smiles like a feline ready to pounce on a mouse. "I was about twenty when I found out I was carry his heir. We were very, very close then you know. The Dark Lord favored me above all others." She says, almost dreamily. "He was a perfect lover and he gave me all kinds of magnificent things."

Completely disgusted Isabel narrows her eyes. "Where is this son of yours." She hisses out, feeling embarrassed and angered at the same time.

"I'm afraid I lost him before he was born. It was during a duel… The Dark Lord was horribly disappointed but swore to fill me again with another child… but nature wouldn't see things our way." She looks up with dark eyes at the younger woman. "You don't look very well, My Lady. Is something wrong?"

She shakes her head, trying not to cry all of a sudden. "You're lying." She says but doesn't believe that. Tom did say he had sex with her. It would make sense.

"I am not."

She knows she's not lying, she knows she's telling the truth. She can't stand to look at her anymore. She runs out of the room, successfully waking Calpurnia who begins crying hard against her shoulder. She goes all the way up to the bed room where she slams the door. So the whole time she was buried alive he was off trying to make a family with another woman. He had no intention of waking her, he probably even forgot about her for the longest time until Harry and his friends saved her.

That bastard. Bellatrix obviously loved him and even through her jealousy and bitterness Isabel can feel a bond with her. How could Tom treat someone so badly? Someone who loved him so completely like Bellatrix Lestrange? Her anger begins to ebb away as the cries of her daughter become louder. Her mother instinct takes over and she begins to rock her back and forth, trying to calm her down.

"I'm sorry, baby." She whispers against her hair, while tears soak into her shirt. "Don't cry." She says but almost laughs at the hypocrisy because she is crying too.

It's not fair. Again she hates him, she seems to find a new reason every day.

X

When Tom gets home Isabel is sitting on the stairs, waiting for him. He smirks when he sees her and begins removing his gloves.

"Were you getting lonely with out me?" he questions lightly, dropping the gloves and his cloak on a near by house elf. Her expression remains stony and he sighs. "What is it this time?"

"Were you disappointed that Calpurnia was a girl?"

Tom shrugs his shoulders. "We'll have more; one is bound to be a boy."

She stands up. "I don't want to have anymore of your children."

Anger flashes in his eyes, his good mood officially gone. "Luckily for me you don't get to make any decisions." He says hatefully.

"Why don't you give me anything?" She asks while following him down the hallway.

"What are you talking about?"

"You never give me anything."

"I've given you everything you have here. Your room, your clothes, your food, your baby…"

"I'm not talking about that stuff. I'm talking about gifts."

He stops and turns to her, frustration clear on his face. "What in the hell are you going on about now?"

"You're a hateful person!" she screams out of nowhere and stomps by him. "I hate you Tom Marvolo Riddle!"

He rubs his face. "When I left this morning you were perfectly fine. What happened?" he demands to know.

She spins around and glares at him. "You don't like me at all, do you? I'm just here to be some kind of baby factory for you since your precious Bellatrix couldn't have anymore heirs! Well, I'm not doing it anymore! I refuse to let you touch me."

"My precious Bellatrix?" he repeats. "What did she say to you?"

"Enough." She hisses. "You planned to keep me in that box forever, didn't you? If Harry Potter hadn't saved me you wouldn't have even tried."

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do!" She places her hands on her hips. "I wish you wouldn't have done this to me and then I would have married Samuel Higgins and lived in a nice house in London. We would have had five children and I would have been teacher… but no! You had to ruin that for no reason what so ever! You ruin everything!"

"I would have killed Samuel Higgins before it ever got that far." He says in a deadly voice, but she ignores it.

"I loved him." she says scornfully. "I loved him like I'll never ever love you. No matter how hard you try." It was hateful and it was a lie, but she's too angry with him to feel bad.

Something close to pain crosses his eyes, but he soon gains control again. "Do you think I care if you love me? Do you think I actually care about anything like that from someone as pathetic as you? You're right, you're just a body I like to use and you have no power to stop me. I'm not above forcing you." He snaps.

"You are foul."

He stalks towards her, invading her personal space. "Do you want to know why I liked fucking Bellatrix Lestrange so much?" he doesn't wait for her answer; he enjoys the pain that flickers across her face before continuing. "It was because she was strong and powerful in ways that you'll never be. She never walked around crying all day like some wounded little girl."

"Then it must have been a real disappointment when she lost your son and couldn't have your evil little babies anymore, right?"

"What?"

Ignoring her furious tears she continues. "She told me about how you two were very close when she was younger and how happy you were when she was carrying your son. You gave her all kinds of gifts and wanted her to have more of your heirs after she lost the first one. It's a shame that she couldn't… then you wouldn't have had a need for me. Is that why you made me take that potion? Just in case something like that happened, and I'd be a ready body?"

He straightens up and narrows his eyes, "She lied to you."

"Don't start that with me." She says fiercely. "I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to be with you."

"Why would you trust anything that woman said?" he asks harshly while she turns her back on him.

"Because it's the truth and you said it yourself, you liked being with her because she wasn't weak like me. I'm tired of being weak and doing whatever you say. I refuse to do it anymore!" she yells and then runs away from him.

Angered beyond belief Tom stomps up to his bedroom. He needs to calm down and he's exhausted from all the work he had to do today and having a fight with her doesn't help anything. He starts to unbutton his shirt as he glares out the window. Why does he let her rile him up like this? Usually he can fake indifference in most matters, but not when it comes to her. He scowls at that thought, at his weakness, at the power she has over him.

He takes a quick shower, figuring Isabel will calm down eventually and while he's getting dressed he hears crying coming from the nursery. He looks around him; no one is in here to get her. He lets her cry for a few more minutes while he gets dressed and combs his hair. Then with a frustrated sigh he walks into the baby's room.

Flinching at the noise, he stalks up to the crib and looks down at his daughter. "Stop crying." He says flatly. She looks at him with large blue eyes, drowning in tears and then she starts screaming again. Officially annoyed he glares at her. "Stop making so much noise." He says again. Isabel usually handles her when she's like this, he doesn't know what to do.

He almost turns around to get someone else to take care of her but the noise dies down so he looks at her again. Her small arms are reaching up towards him and she's looking at him helplessly. He sighs before reaching down and picking her up. Something funny happens to his heart every time he holds her and feels her tiny heartbeat against his own. She lays her head against his shoulder and he brings his right hand up to runs his fingers through her dark hair that feels like silk. She's soft and sweet, just like her mother.

The very same mother who pissed him off so badly before. He narrows his eyes at the far wall remembering their fight. Why does she get so angry with him for things like that? If Bellatrix did tell her those lies then he'll have to punish her again, it's almost not worth it. That woman is so far gone it doesn't matter what you do to her. She'll never learn her lesson. Calpurnia makes a strange babbling noise by his ear so he shifts her so he can look into her face. She smiles at him and he can't help but smile back. Children are amazing… well, not all children, his children.

"Are you trying to talk?" he asks her. He speaks to the baby as he would speak to anyone else, no baby talk or silly voices will ever come from him. She gurgles something in reply and brings a small hand up to his face. He takes it from his cheek and kisses her palm. "Let's go find your Mother, shall we?"

Secured in his arms he walks out of the room with her in search of his wife. He figures if he has the baby with him she'll be more likely to forget about everything and come back to her senses. He starts talking to Calpurnia the whole way there about magical theory, because it only seemed right and when he reaches the bottom of the stairs he sees Octavian.

"My Lord." The old man says deeply, while bowing his head.

"Have you seen Isabel?" he asks, not feeling like searching the whole castle by himself.

Octavian looks uncomfortable for a few moments. "Well, yes, I have."

He puts his hand on Calpurnia's back to steady her as she tries to swivel around to look at who he's talking to. "Where is she?" he asks, annoyed.

"I believe she's in the North tower." He answers. Tom begins to turn away in that direction. "My Lord, if I may?"

He turns around with a raised eyebrow. "What?'

"It is my experience…with my own wife and daughters that young women tend to be highly sensitive after their first born." He looks Tom in the eyes. "Especially one who is surrounded more by snakes then she is friends."

Tom narrows his eyes. "Do you suggest then that I shouldn't go find her?"

"No, My Lord." He says gently. "Young mothers barely get any sleep, trying to take care of the new baby and it's hard for their bodies to adjust to all the changes. That makes their emotions jump all out of sorts. Perhaps you should try to be… kind to her."

"I am always kind to her." he hisses. "I believe you go too far." He says angry that someone below him was trying to tell him how to behave.

"I apologize, My Lord." Octavian says with a nod of the head.

Tom stomps off in search of the North Tower. He stops a few times to let Calpurnia look at the stained glass windows that litter the hall as he climbs up the spiral staircase. When he reaches the top, rounded room he finds her asleep on a powder blue, Victorian styled, chaise lounge by the window. She looks so peaceful, nothing like the screaming, crying, woman who attacked him earlier.

The baby in his arms becomes excited at seeing her mother and she begins babbling and bouncing in his arms. "Calm down." He tells her, while rubbing the smooth skin of her arm.

"Is she alright?" comes Isabel's tired voice. Tom looks to her and she looks down. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry you had to take care of her." she says mechanically.

She lies on her back and rubs her eyes, yawning; he takes the moment to sit beside her on the chaise lounge chair. She looks surprised.

"It's to be expected." He says while he plays with his daughter by moving his hand out of her grasp. She reaches her small arms out to his hand and then he brings it closer to her within reach, he pulls away again and she giggles. "You know young mothers are always very tired because their bodies are getting use to having to take care of a baby for the first time." He says, repeating what Octavian said before, but owning it himself. "They're also more emotional." He says, watching her reaction out of the corner of his eye.

She sits up on her elbow and nods her head. "You're right." She says and then sighs tiredly, letting her head fall down to her shoulder. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like I did. Maybe I did get carried away." She brings her hand out and runs her finger down Calpurnia's flushed round cheek. "You are a good Father, Tom." She observes as the baby lays her head tiredly against his chest.

He smirks at the compliment and turns his body to face her. Taking what she just said as a signal that she isn't upset anymore. He puts his right hand on the cushion beside her body, caging her in underneath him.

"What Bellatrix told you was a lie." He says, watching her face as she relaxes against the pillows. "She was never carrying my child and I never had any intention of her doing so." She nods her head tightly to show she believes him. "She'll be punished for lying to you."

She furrows her bows. "No, don't do anything to her." He raises an eye brow at that. She reaches her arms out and takes the baby from his arms, resting her on her chest. "She loves you, Tom. It can't easy for her to see me every day."

"Are you sure?" he asks slowly, not understanding why she wouldn't want revenge for how upset the lie made her.

"I'm sure." She says tiredly. "I wish we didn't have to stay here though, with all of your Death Eaters always around. I don't like that."

"This is our home." He says solidly, leaving no room for discussion. She nods her head and turns away, making small patterns with her fingers on the baby's back. "I know that Bellatrix Lestrange has always loved me," he says in a low voice. "but do you love me too?" he doesn't know why he wants to know.

"I thought you didn't care if a pathetic girl like me loved you, remember?" she says fiercely. Some of her anger returning.

"I said that after you told me that you never could love me the way you loved that… that mudblood." He spits out. Their voices are harsh but they are trying not to yell because of the baby.

She sighs and sits up, making him sit up straighter as well. His eyes are intense and she realizes that she hurt him terribly when she said that. "I lied when I said that." She confesses.

That seemed to have made him happy. "So you think you could love me?" he asks, almost wanting to kill himself for wanting to know. What happened to him? When did he start caring about silly things like love?

"No," she says and his face falls. "I'm a fool because I love you already, and I shouldn't. There really isn't a reason why I should. You aren't very good to me." She looks at him in the eyes. "You are actually pretty horrid to me, if you think about it. You are a terrible person; in fact, I think you are the worst person I've ever met. You're probably the most terrible person in the whole entire world."

He smirks at her. "But yet…"

She sighs tiredly, giving up. "But yet… I do love you." She doesn't really have a choice.

No one has ever said that to him before and he's surprised that he finds he likes the way it sounds. He smiles at her. "There is going to be an honorary celebration on Friday. We are the guests of honor."

She frowns, hating those types of things… and hating the person Tom becomes in front of all of his followers. "For what?"

"Honestly, you never listen to anything I say, do you?" he snaps and she blushes. "China has finally surrendered."

"Oh," she says lightly. Another country conquered is not really good news for her.

"I want you and Calpurnia to look presentable and to be on your best behavior."

At that she sits up straight and furrows her brow. "You want to bring the baby?" she asks worriedly, not liking the idea.

"Of course." He says arrogantly as he pets the baby's hair with his large hand. "I think now would be a good time to introduce her to the world."

"No." she says steadily. There is no way that she is going to do that. "No, she is too young."

Anger flashes in his eyes and his expression becomes stony. He doesn't like being told no. "We are going to do things my way." He says dangerously.

She knows that tone so she tries a different method. She takes a deep breath and turns Calpurnia's body so she's facing her father. "I'm not trying to start a fight." She says gently, reaching a hand out to his leg. "I just think it's dangerous to have her around so many people. Especially at this age."

He stands up and kisses the top of her head, his anger gone. "I've already made up my mind." He smirks down at his little family, placing his hands in his pockets. "The people have a very negative perception of their Dark Lord. Perhaps seeing my little girl will change their minds."

With a wink he turns to walk out of the room. "So this is all about politics." She says angrily. Mad at the thought of Tom using their daughter to gain support.

He looks over his shoulder when he reaches the door way. "It's always about politics, sweetheart." He says as his eyes travel over her as she stands up. "I won't be here for dinner tonight, but I want you in my bed at ten, waiting and ready for me. Hopefully you can make up for the way you treated me earlier." His voice drops and she knows if she not where he wants her to be tonight that he'll probably punish her for it. "Today has been long and I'll need your help to unwind."

He smirks at her before turning a walking away. She frowns at the doorway and listens to his retreating steps. How does he manage to turn everything around? A part of her is upset at the way he speaks to her and the other part is excited for him to come home later tonight, and another part of her has no idea what she wants.

She looks down at her daughter and smiles sadly. "Let's hope that you aren't as confusing as your father when you grow up."


	16. Chapter 16

The sun is just now starting to set as they climb into the old black carriage, pulled by four dark horses. The Asian driver greets them with a low bow and the iron gates slam shut behind them. They are headed towards to victory celebration which is located in a giant governmental mansion in China. Tom sits down across from her and crosses his legs as he stares out the window with a blank look in his face. Isabel straps the tired Calpurnia into a safety seat and sits back to enjoy the bumpy ride.

The place where this is being held is just like Hogwarts. No one can apparate in or out of the grounds, so fancy carriages have been set up to pull the people down the long drive way. Tom had sent all of his guards away… they were beginning to annoy him. He's not a people person. Isabel takes in the silence and studies the man across from her. His profile is sharp and strong and the light coming in from the windows illuminates the pale planes of his face. He looks so young, but he's not. His handsome face and charming smile make you think he can be sweet, gentle even… but that's hardly his real personality. He's one big lie…

A memory goes through her mind. It was the moment that she knew he wasn't what she thought he was. It was the first time that he hit her, back in school.

She had been talking to Samuel Higgins, who she would later love, about a defense assignment. She was conscious of Tom's friends that followed her around but she didn't think it was a big deal. Having never gotten in any real trouble with him because of them. He had only yelled at her a few times before for hugging one of her male friends or talking to someone he didn't like. She didn't think anything of it. In fact she had thought it was kind of sweet how possessive he was… it meant he really liked her.

"I think he wants the different methods listed as well." She had told Sam while hiking up her books and walking down the hall.

Sam smiled at her then and she noticed the dimple on his right cheek. "Thanks." He said and blushed slightly. "I hardly pay attention in that class."

She smiled. "No problem."

She turned to walk away, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. "I could carry your books if you'd like." He said, not quite looking at her face. "I mean, we're both going to the same class, after all."

Her eyes scan the hallway and she notices Antonin Dolohov watching her closely, one of Tom's followers. She rolls her eyes because he's probably going to tell on her. "No," she says with a sigh. "I can handle it my self."

Sam looked embarrassed and nodded his head tightly. They walked together in virtual silence until they got out side for Care of Magical Creatures class. Sam volunteered to be her partner and it was then that she knew he had a crush on her. It was just the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors in that class… She didn't think she had to worry about any other Syltherins watching her. So she didn't even think about it when Sam wiped a spot of dirt off of her cheek with his thumb and smiled warmly at her. His hand had lingered on her face and she blushed.

On her way back to her dorm someone grabbed her arm violently and threw her against the wall. Shocked and confused she looked up through watered eyes at a very infuriated and annoyed Tom Riddle.

"Why did you do that?" she asked fiercely, while rubbing her sore arm.

He didn't smirk, he didn't smile. He had been so nice and gentle with her at first but now his face was a cold hard mask, she looked at her shoes to get away from it.

"You are a whore."

His voice was calm and it cut her like a knife. No one had ever called her that… she'd never heard anyone actually use that word before. She's still shocked. "What?"

"I hope you don't think I missed that little show you put on today in class. I was watching you." He takes a step closer to her and she watches him, totally confused by his behavior. "and Dolohov told me how you were flirting with that mudblood in the hallway before."

She furrows her brows as she looks at him. "I wasn't flirting. I was just--"

SMACK

Her head flew to the side and she looked back to him with shocked eyes as he brought his hand back down to his side. Embarrassment flamed her cheeks and tears stung her eyes. She had never been smacked like that before and she was too stunned to move.

"Don't lie to me." He said quietly. "I saw the way you acted. You were like a bitch in heat." Again her eyes widen at his language. She's never heard someone curse so much. "You won't let me anywhere near that pussy of yours but as soon as a dirty mudblood takes interest you're willing to drop your knickers for him."

Her heart started beating painfully in her chest and a fearful sweat broke out on her forehead. "It's not like that…." She says quietly, scanning the hall for someone to help her. "He's just a friend."

"You aren't allowed to have friends." He answered and she almost laughed but didn't think the situation would allow it. How can you demand such a thing?

"Of course I can." She said, standing a little straighter.

Another step closer and he's just inches away from her face. "You are only allowed to talk to people I approve of."

"That's just silly." She said, turning her head away from his intense stare. Trying desperately to be brave.

"I will not let you make a fool out of me." He spits out hatefully. He grabs her arm to get her attention and make her look at him. "No one makes a fool out of me."

"Okay," she says quietly, nodding her head. He sounds crazy right now and she doesn't want to provoke him. That would be like kicking a tiger. "I shouldn't have talked to him."

"That's right." He said harshly. There's a moment of silence and then his fingers come up to touch her face. She flinches but he doesn't notice. "This is where he touched you." He said lightly, more to himself then to her.

"And where you hit me." She said, angry again and unable to holdback.

"You deserved it."

"I did not!"

"If you want me to do it again, I will." She clenched her jaw shut and looked at his throat. She doesn't like this new Tom. "That's what I thought."

"I have to go." She says trying get away from him. She turned to walk down the hall but he pushed out his arm against the wall to block her. "Dinner is going to start soon and I want to change."

His breathing became different but she refused to look at him. She closed her eyes as she felt his face come down to the side of her neck and his right hand started to touch the back of her leg, pulling up her skirt in the process.

"I would like to see that." He says darkly. Her face flushed as his hand touches her bare skin and begins tracing the line of her knickers. "Since you were giving it out for free today I don't see how that would be a problem."

He was being cruel in unfair. "Stop it." She said solidly, but too afraid to move away from him. "I've never done anything with anyone. You know that."

His fingers moved aside the thin cotton of her underwear and start to touch her back side, moving closer and closer to her privet spot. She begins to panic.

"Then convince me." He said in a deep voice, trying to manipulate her. "Let me be the first to taste you. You claim to like me so much."

"I don't like you like this." She hissed, clenching her legs closed and turning her body so her back is pressing into the wall and his hands have to move.

He smirked and grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the wall. His body was flushed up against hers and she could feel his arousal against her stomach.

"Mr. Riddle." They both turn to Professor Slughorn as he waddles down the hall towards them. He smiled a sly smile when Tom stepped back and Isabel looked down. He misinterpreted what was happening. "And Miss Prewett…. Dinner is about to start soon. You should get moving." He gives Tom a smirk. "I didn't expect to catch you necking the hallways Riddle."

Tom nods his head. "Sorry Professor." He said with a smirk, mirroring the older mans.

"Five points from each of your houses. Now, shoo, before I change my mind."

Isabel started walking away quickly while Slughorn laughed and commented on teenage hormones. Her cheek still burned and she was so upset that she couldn't wait until she got to her room. Where she would stay and skip going to the great hall for supper. Tom grabbed her hand and intertwined her fingers with his own but she refused to look at him. She was holding back tears and he didn't say anything until they reached her common room portrait.

"Isabel." He said silkily to get her attention. She looked up at him hesitantly, wanting nothing more then to punch him in the face. "You had better be a virgin when I decide to fuck you."

She didn't have an answer to that so she turned to give the portrait to give the password. He grabbed her again and forced her to face him. "What?" she asked quietly, almost pitifully. She just wanted to get away from him.

"Aren't you going to give me a kiss?" he had a smile on his face but his eyes were cold. He was daring her to say no.

She hesitated just a moment before leaning up and giving him a light kiss on his lips. He smirked a wicked smirk and winked at her.

With that he left, leaving her there to stare after him. He had just crushed everything pleasant thing she thought about him and the next day she broke up with him…in a public place so he wouldn't have a chance to bully her… Now she knows she never really got away from him. She told him she loved him. It's hard to believe….

"What are you staring at?" Tom's voice brings her out of her mind and she looks at him.

"What?" she says quietly as the horses hoof's clump against the ground.

"You were looking right at me. Why?"

She shrugs her shoulders and looks out the window at the passing scenery. "I was just thinking."

She watches him out of the corner of her eye as he takes out his wand and starts to twirl it between his fingers. He doesn't like to sit still; he always has to be doing something. She looks down when thinking about that memory again. She hated him so much that day and he had done many worse things after that… but she loves him… she loves him but it will never sound completely right when she says it to herself.

A large bump in the road brings her out of her thoughts and a weird noise causes her to look at Tom and then out the window.

"Oh, Tom. Stop the carriage."

"We're almost there."

"Please?"

"There is no reason why we need to stop."

Isabel sticks her head out of the window and looks on the dirt road behind them. "We ran over a cat." She brings her hands up to the ledge and squints her eyes, trying to see. "We have to go back, it was the mother… Oh, look the kittens are coming out." She turns back to Tom and looks at him pleadingly. "Please, let's go back. It may still be alive."

"It's just a cat."

"It has babies!"

"It doesn't matter. We have more important things to do tonight then worry about a stray cat."

"It flinched." She says urgently while looking back out the window. "Her babies are trying to help her. We have to go back and see if she's alright."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Tom!"

"I said no, goddamnit!" he shouts, officially annoyed. "Now stop it."

He crosses his arms and huffs while looking out the window. Out of the corner of his eye he looks to her and sees her lower lip is jetting out and her eyes are staring at her hands, playing nervously with her dress. Calpurnia is strapped into a baby seat beside her and is watching him with a frown on her face. He turns back to his wife and glares at her for a few minutes before he breaks.

"Son of a bitch." He says hatefully, sticking his head out the window and addressing the Asian driver. "Go back," he hisses annoyed. "You hit a fucking cat."

"Watch what you say." Scolds Isabel as she tries to distract the baby with a toy.

"This is the last ridiculous thing I'm going to be doing for you for a while. So never ask me again." He says harshly as the driver turns around and the horses trot back to the cat.

Once it stops beside the poor feline Isabel jumps out of the black carriage and kneels down beside the cat as the four small kittens meow at her and scurry away. Tom watches her from the window as she scrunches her nose up in disgust at the obvious dent in the creature's stomach. She's wearing long, black gloves that go half way up her arm. She watches the pitiful cat as she rolls one of them down and takes it off.

Tom looks down at her in complete disgust. "Don't even think about touching that thing." He says, like a parent talking to a child. "It's dirty and probably has flees."

She ignores him and touches the cats head. The cat takes a ragged breath and twitches one of its legs. She looks over her shoulder, up at Tom who has the most impatient scowl on his handsome face.

"Can you help her?" She asks. Trying to look as helpless as possible. "She's still breathing."

He scoffs. "That foul thing deserves to die for jumping in front of a moving carriage. If the animal is really that stupid then I think natural selection is trying to weed it out." He props open the door. "Get in. The celebration is about to start and Calpurnia is getting restless."

"You're good at healing charms," she says, ignoring what he told her. "It will only take you a minute to fix her."

They stare at each other for a few moments before Tom rolls his eyes and steps out of the carriage. Isabel lets a small smile come to her face as she gets in and frees the baby from her seat so she can see what's going on. He is the freaking Dark Lord; he shouldn't be healing defenseless animals. Hell, when he was little he used to kill them himself. Tom bends down with an annoyed look creasing his features as he pokes the cat with is wand and after a muttered spell the dent in its stomach inflates and goes back to normal. The cat jumps up after a few seconds and hisses at Tom before running off into the nearby field with its kittens.

"Bloody ungrateful." He mutters as he stands straight. He turns around and sees Isabel, with his daughter in her arms, watching him with an odd little smile on her face. "What?" he barks out.

"That was so nice." She says in a voice that states she didn't think it was ever humanly possible for him to do something like that. He looks decidedly uncomfortable by her saying that and sends a death glare to the driver who is watching the whole scene over his shoulder.

"We're leaving now." He says, gaining back control and putting pressure on her back so she'll get back in.

After they climb in and shut the door Isabel straps the baby back into her seat and hands her a toy. When the carriage starts to move again she stands up and sits on Tom's lap, kissing him deeply on the lips.

"Thank you." She says to him sweetly before giving him another deep, breathless kiss.

He's reminded why he should do things for her more often when her fingers tangle in his hair and a moan escapes her throat. When she pulls back he looks at her very seriously with his hand on her leg. "For doing this I expect to be woken up every morning by your mouth sucking my cock for the next three months."

Her eyes widen scandalously and she slaps his arm. "You can't say those things in front of our daughter!" she whispers fiercely, getting off of his lap and returning to her seat across from him.

He only smirks and when they finally reach their destination he helps her out of the carriage, keeping a tight grip on her arm. "I wasn't joking." He whispers, very seriously, into her ear. She has to resist the urge to stomp on his foot.

He has to ruin every nice moment.

X

Calpurnia sits up in the cradle that has her confined as fireworks light up the hall. She smiles and claps her hands as lights of different colors fall down to the floor and sizzle. The people in the room clap after every show and when the big sparks come the bangs from the fireworks make the baby jump. Suddenly she's scared and starts crying.

Isabel's chair is right beside her and she picks her up and holds her against her chest. "You're okay, sweetie." She says quietly against her hair. Another loud bang causes her small body to shake and sobs escape her mouth. Isabel turns towards Tom. "The fireworks are starting to scare her." she tells him with a frown on her face as the baby holds tightly onto her dress with her little fists.

Tom takes his eyes off of the show and looks to them. Calpurnia is crying hard into Isabel's neck and she has brought one of her soft white hands to cover her little ear. The baby sees him looking and lifts her head from Isabel's shoulder and reaches her small arms out to him.

"Aw, she wants her daddy." Isabel says with a small smile on her face.

"Father." Tom corrects before taking the small child in his arms and covering one of her ears with his strong hand. He whispers a spell and the baby immediately calms down and watches the fireworks again.

"What did you do?"

Tom looks at Isabel watching him with a frown on her face. He smirks at his own cleverness. "It's a simple spell that blocks out loud noises."

"Oh," she says and then smiles at him as she leans over his chair to touch the baby's hand. "Good thinking."

"Of course." He says arrogantly and when he thinks no one is looking he looks down at his daughter who is watching him with tears still in her eyes. He smiles at her and wipes a few away.

"My Lord!" He snaps his head up. The fireworks show is over and one of his followers is in front of him now. "We have our final surprise for you!" says the short, darkhaired man, loud enough so everyone in the room can hear.

Tom hands the child back to her mother and stands up to show his acceptance. At the end of the hall the doors bust open and in walks three chained and dirty prisoners. Black cloaked guards with wands make sure they make it to the front, by Tom. He watches them through narrowed eyes and scowls when they fall before him.

"What's this?" he asks as he eyes the dirty prisoners with distaste.

"These are the three leaders of the resistance here in China, My Lord." Says the Death Eater proudly.

Tom nods his head. "I see, and you must be Mica then." He says, eyeing the black figure up and down.

Mica smiles, showing a row of dark yellow, crooked teeth. "Yes, My Lord."

"Then a congratulations are in order." Says Tom looking around the room. "This is the man who helped defeat the resistance here in this fine country by betraying his brother for our cause." He looks down at the chained prisoner at the center who is a younger version of Mica. "How does it feel to know your down on your knees because of your brother?" he asks cruelly.

The man looks him in the eyes. "I don't have a brother." He says solidly with a thick Chinese accent.

Tom takes out his wand with a smirk on his face. Isabel watches the scene before her frowning. "Now, what shall we do about you three?"

"Kill them!" a person in the crowd shouts out, followed by giggles.

"Cut out their eyes!" another yells and Isabel again covers her daughters ears and looks around her in disgust.

"Let me torture them, My Lord." One of his follower stands up and bows.

Mica turns his dark eyes up. "No, My Lord. Allow me." He says with a vicious smirk.

"You are the reason why we caught them, after all." Answers Tom. Giving his consent. Mica lifts his wand and starts shooting curses at the bound prisoners.

"Is this supposed to be entertainment?" hisses Isabel quietly. Tom was the only one who heard her and he looks down at her, lifting an eyebrow. "This is morbid." She says solidly staring up at him with a scowl on her face. "And in front of our daughter."

"What do you suggest we do, my darling wife." He asks nastily, taking his seat and watching the scene before him.

"Those men were just fighting for what they believe in." she says and flinches at a loud scream. "They shouldn't be punished for it… but that man," she nods her head to Mica torturing his brother. "Betrayed his whole family. He deserves to be punished, not them."

Tom watches her closely now. "But he betrayed them to come to our side. There is something noble about that isn't there?"

She shakes her head and rocks the little girl in her arms who's starting to cry again from the cheers and screams. "There is nothing noble in betraying your family like this." She whispers fiercely. "A man like that can never be trusted again. Make him stop or let me leave."

"You aren't leaving."

"Then make him stop."

"I'll have Narcissa accompany you to the hallway, but you aren't allowed to leave this building."

She shakes her head at him. "Just think about it." She says while standing up. "Do you really want a man like that fighting for you?"

She leans down and gives him a kiss on the cheek before walking out with Narcissa Malfoy. Tom watches her go and then turns back to the bloody spectacle in front of him. Once the crowd had been satisfied he stands up again.

"Kill them all." He says. Mica smiles widely again with sweat pouring down his face. The guards start to levitate the prisoners out and Tom nods his head to Mica. "Take him too." He says.

The crowd is silent as Mica is carried out to be executed. He sits back down and awaits the next entertainment of the night.


	17. Chapter 17

Tom scowls down at the paper in his hands. "They say I'm getting soft?" he says spitefully.

Lucius Malfoy clears his throat and looks uncomfortable when Tom's glare falls on him. "Perhaps it's a good thing. Your approval rating has gone up since that night."

He's referring to the night of the Chinese Celebration. That Asian driver of the carriage had given an interview about how kind the Dark Lord was and how he graciously healed a defenseless cat that was on the brink of death after his beautiful and kind hearted wife asked him to.

He looks at the paper again. "They think that she makes all of my decisions now?"

Octavian frowns. "I don't think that's what was meant, my Lord."

"That is what they said." He snaps. He looks at the paper and reads from it. "The Dark Lord is definitely losing his hard edge that he built his empire on. His young wife and daughter seem to be influencing more and more of his decisions as of late. But where does this leave his Army full of blood thirsty men and woman? What are they to do when their leader would rather enjoy tea and crumpets then lead them in battle? There are no more executions or horrendous laws active anymore. One has to suspect it's his new little family that has him making all of these new choices for his empire. Perhaps it's the 'Dark Lady' who should be the one in control because she can obviously control her husband when so many others have failed." When he's finished reading he throws the paper down. "Who the fuck had the audacity to write this?"

"Would you like us to terminate the author, My Lord?" one of his followers asks nervously.

"Of course I want you to!" he yells loudly, extremely pissed off at the current situation he is in. His whole image is based on fear and power. If you take those two things away from him he has nothing. "And I want…" he looks down at the paper to see the name of the writer. "Harlen Quinn's head set on a pike in Diagon Alley so people will see how soft I've become."

With that he storms out of the room. As he stalks down the hallway a sight catches his sight out of the window. Isabel is wearing a light blue dress today and she's sitting on the grass with Calpurnia on her lap. Tom sneers at them and walks further down the hallway. If he needs to show the world that he still has power then he will and they will have no one to blame but themselves.

X

"She looks like a boy."

Isabel frowns down at Calpurnia as she attempts to crawl around on the grass. "Oh, she does not." She says while bending down and picking up the baby. "I think she looks adorable."

Tom scowls at the denim overalls and white t-shirt his small daughter is wearing. Calpurnia's jet black hair is starting to wing out around her temples and at the nape of her neck. She'll probably have curls. When she sees him she smiles around her yellow pacifier. The sun shines through the leaves of the trees casting patterns of light to play across her and her mothers pale skin. Both Calprunia and Isabel's eyes seem bright today; Tom realizes that they're the same shade of light blue.

"She looks like a boy." he repeats. Hating the common looking overalls and that they aren't gender specific. He doesn't want any one to be confused.

"Tom, if you came out here to just nag us you can go back inside." Snaps Isabel, turning her back on him and shifting the baby in her arms. They're just outside in the gardens of Tom's castle… no one is going to be judging them out here… but Tom. He's so picky "And everyone here knows she's a little girl anyways." She says, her voice changing softly as she addresses the baby. "Don't they, pretty girl?"

"Don't turn your back on me." He says hatefully with his hands in his pockets. Since she's had the baby her priorities have changed… and it doesn't please him at all. That article also has him on edge. "I'm speaking to you."

She sighs before turning around, taking the baby's hand in her own as she tries to touch her face. "What?"

"I don't like your tone." He says dangerously.

"I don't like you right now." She mumbles so he could barely hear her.

"What did you just say?" he snaps.

"I said I don't like you right now." She sets the restless child back on the blanket. "Why did you come out here? Just to start a fight because if that's the reason then you've succeeded."

"Why are you so bitchy today?"

She flicks a glance down at the baby and then back up at him. "I'm the bitchy one?" she says sarcastically, looking away.

He grabs her arm and his eyes narrow. He digs his nails into her skin and she whimpers. "Might I suggest that you not speak to me like that again." His voice drops and becomes frighteningly calm. "You might hurt yourself."

"Stop." She says solidly. She doesn't want him to freak out in front of Calpurnia.

"Stop what?" he asks cruelly. "Stop this?" he asks as he pushes her against the tree. The bark scratches her back and hurts her skin. He gets very close to her so he's only a few inches from her face. "I don't appreciate the way you're speaking to me, kitten."

Sometimes she forgets who he is; sometimes she believes that he's a normal person. She takes a very deep breath. "Why did you come out here?" She snaps. "We were doing fine before you decided to show up." She says and then immediately regrets it as soon as it leaves her mouth because the look in his eyes tells her she may have hurt him. The only reason he came out was to see them. He doesn't handle people very well. "Tom… I didn't mean…"

"Shut up." He says harshly, pushing her into the tree a little more. "This is my home, you are my wife," he points to Calpurnia who's sitting down on the grass, watching them with wide eyes. "and that is my child. I will not let you disrespect me."

"I'm not disrespecting you." She says tiredly. He's exhausting sometimes. "Will you just calm down." She says, pushing on his chest but he doesn't move. Something must have happened today because he is so ready to be defensive she thinks.

"Don't tell me what to do!" He screeches into her face making her flinch and turn away.

The baby starts crying from the outburst and Isabel tries to step around Tom to get to her but he pushes her against the tree again. "Can we do this later, please?" she says meanly. "I don't want to do this in front of her."

The baby screeches louder because she's afraid but Tom's cold gaze doesn't waver. "She should know what happens when you make me angry."

Isabel's eyes narrow and her jaw twitches. "I am not one of your followers, Tom. Neither is she. Now let go."

He back hands her hard across the face and she looks at him totally surprised. She didn't think he would do that anymore. The baby screeches again and tears sting her eyes. "Why did you do that?" she asks softly, bringing a hand up to her face.

"Because you deserved it." He says hatefully and she lets a tear drop. "Because I am the Dark Lord and can do whatever the hell I want."

She shakes her head and look away from him. Calpurnia's cries are now deafening and she's starting to cough. "You are not the Dark Lord to me." She says quietly, glancing at him quickly. "You're my husband and you're her father." She says nodding down to the screaming baby. "Don't treat me like one of your followers." She almost pleads to him. "I'm not disposable."

She pushes his chest and he lets her step around him to pick up the baby. "Damnit Tom." She says with tears in her eyes as she turns to face him again. "You need to learn to control your temper." She says fiercely, bouncing the baby in her arms, trying to calm her down. "We're your family. You don't have to be cruel to us."

He watches her and his daughter cry for a few more moments before turning his head away. He's never had a family before. "You shouldn't have spoken to me that way." He says tightly.

There's a moments pause and when he looks up at her she's looking off into the distance with tears still on her cheeks. Calpurnia has stopped crying and is sniffling against her shoulder.

"You're right. I'm sorry." She says finally, accepting his attempts at being civil. "I won't do it again."

He walks up to her and touches her cheek so she'll look at him. His face is set and serious, his eyes are uneasy. This is hard for him and she knows it. "Let's forget this conversation." He says, leaving out any room for discussion.

She nods her head tightly and hikes the baby up a little further in her arms. "She's getting hot. We should go inside." She says with a sigh.

She starts to walk away from him but Tom stops her. "I can carry her." he says, taking the little girl in his arms. He places his arm around the baby's middle so that her back is pressed into his chest and she can see everything around her. She loves it and smiles. "She does look cute." He says with a smirk and she's kind of surprised that he said it.

Isabel watches him from the corner of her eyes as they walk back towards the house and Tom talks to their daughter about the history of Salazar Slytherin's castle.

"Did something happen?" she asks quietly after he's done talking.

"What do you mean?" he snaps, turning Calpurnia around so her head can rest on his shoulder.

"You seem upset." She says carefully. "Like something is bothering you. You can tell me… maybe I can help."

"You think you know everything." He says hatefully and she raises her eyebrows. He's hot one second and cold the next. She can't figure it out. "and you know nothing."

"Why are you acting like this?" she whispers.

"Stop questioning me." He says and then he glares at her so hatefully that she has to take a step back. "Go to your room and stay there."

"What did I do?"

"You've annoyed me. Now go!" he yells, making Calpurnia cry in his arms again. Isabel steps over to him but he jerks away from her. "What did I say?"

"I was going to take her with me." She says with a voice laced in confusion. Why is he acting like this? He's been so nice to her recently.

"Did I say you could?" he asks cruelly. She just stares at him with wide eyes, not understanding. "No, I didn't. Now get your ass upstairs or I'll curse you."

"Tom…I don't..."

"One." He starts counting as he holds the baby in one hand and digs in his pocket for his wand with the other. "Two." He continues when she doesn't move. "You do not want me to get to three so I suggest you get fucking moving."

Her lower lip trembles as she turns around and speeds away from him. She falls down on the mattress in her room and cries because she is completely confused. She didn't do anything wrong. Why is he being so mean? She sniffs and wipes some tears away.

"What did I do wrong?" she says quietly to the empty walls in her room.

She stays in her room all day like he told her to but she worriedly paces around the floor, chewing on her lip because the baby is with him. What is he doing and why can't she have the baby with her? It makes her nervous and it makes her scared. She sits down on the bed and exhales slowly. Today is not a good day.

X

"Stay." Tom says as he sets his daughter on the floor in front of his desk. "Don't move."

She looks up at him with big eyes and he smiles down at her before sitting in his chair and shuffling through his stack of important papers. He gets so engrossed in his work that he doesn't hear her start to crawl off. His head snaps up when something crashes to the ground.

"What the hell." He says to himself as he walks over to the small table that Calpurnia had crawled to and pulled off the crystal vase. "I told you to stay." He tells the little girl as he picks her up again and sets her back down on the rug in the center of the room. He's trying to prove a point right now and he won't give in. "You are just like your mother." He says as he takes a book off a shelf and hands it to her for a toy. "You never listen."

The baby stares at the book and then crawls over it to follow him back to his desk chair. She makes small little babbling noises and coohing sounds that make him spin around and glare at her. "What did I tell you?" he snaps like he was talking to an adult, not a nine month old child. "I told you to stay. Listen to me!" he yells and she sits back and starts crying.

"Goddamnit." He says hatefully. "All you do is cry."

He's in a bad mood and taking it out on her. He turns away for a few moments, refusing to comfort her until she makes a pitiful sob noise and he realizes how unfair he's being to her. She doesn't know what's going on. He shouldn't punish her for it.

With a sigh he reaches down to pick her up but she jerks away from him because she's afraid of his voice when he yells. A weight settles on his chest when he sees her do this and when he picks her up he cradles her in his arms and kisses her cheeks and hair.

"Shh…" he says, trying to speak softly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. I won't do it anymore." He knows that's an empty promise but he'll say it anyway so she'll stop screeching.

Her face is red and her smalls fists are cutting into his shirt. He rubs her back and kisses her ear. "It's alright, Cali." He says, trying to speak softly. "Don't cry."

"I could take her if you'd like." His head snaps up to the doorway and he sees Bellatrix Lestrange look at him with wild eyes. "I could make her stop crying."

He snorts. "I'm sure you could." He says. He knows better then to trust her with a baby. Her solution to get her to stop crying would probably be to kill her. "What are you doing in here?"

"To drop this off." She says, holding up another newspaper. "Another article on your lack of control and command."

He sneers. He knows he doesn't look very intimidating right now as he holds a baby in denim over alls against his chest. This is all Isabel's fault he thinks unfairly. "I want whatever company is publishing these papers to be burned to the ground. Do you understand?"

Bella nods her head and smirks. "Yes, My Lord."

"I don't want to hear any more about this." He says and then turns down to Calpurnia who has stopped crying and his chewing on shirt. He grimaces. "I want public executions of Order rebels now. If the people think they can get away with more because they think I'm turning soft then let them."

"Yes, My Lord." Bella says. Her wild eyes look down at the child in his arms and then back up at him. "Forgive me if I say that there might be some truth to what these articles are publishing." His eyes flash dangerously but she continues. "Master that girl has started to ruin you. She'll want you to throw away everything you've worked so hard for. Look at you now. The greatest wizard in history is holding a drooling, crying baby when he should be conquering the Americas."

"Get out of my office." He says flatly. He's the king of all Slytherin's he knows when he's being manipulated. "Now."

"She doesn't treat you like the great Lord that you are, Master. It's so hard to watch her disrespect you so openly."

"You had better be out of my office by the time I sit down."

She turns and leaves, shutting the door behind her and he sits heavily in his chair. Thinking there may be some truth to her words.

X

"Where is she?" she asks desperately when Tom storms into the room. It's almost one in the morning. She hasn't seen her baby all day "Where is Calpurnia?" she asks again.

Tom pushes her roughly and she falls down on the bed. His jaw is set and his eyes are blazing. She gulps loudly. "I am your Master."

"Tom…"

"I am not Tom," he cuts her off. "I am not your loving husband. I am your Master. Say it."

She shakes her head and tries to get up but he pushes her down again. "Say it now."

"I don't understand."

"What don't you understand?" he says nastily. "Tell me what I am to you."

"Tom.." she starts again but he silences her with a smack to the face. That always hurts so much.

"Say it." He says, slightly crazed.

She lets tears come to her eyes as she touches her tingling cheek. "Why are you doing this?" she asks pitifully.

He scowls and grabs her hair, pulling her up to stand in front of him. "You are nothing but a whore to me. Now, I want to hear you call me Master." He tugs her hair and she whimpers. "Now!"

"You're my Master." She says with a voice thick with tears.

He shoves her back on the bed and begins unbuttoning his shirt. "All I want to hear out of your pretty little mouth from this moment on is Yes Master, or Please Master. Do you understand?"

She looks shocked for a few moments but the evil look in his eyes brings her back to reality. "Yes…" she says quietly and his glare becomes deadlier. "Yes Master" she corrects herself.

"Good." He starts removing his pants. "Take off your clothes and spread your legs for me." He tells her with an edge to his voice. "I've had a hard day and you are in for a very rough night."

Once they both are out of their clothes he falls on top of her and bites her neck, leaving his mark. "Ow, that hurts." She cries.

He pulls back and looks down at her. "If you complain again I will have you whipped in front of all of my Death Eaters. Do you understand?"

She cries for a few moments. What happened to him? He's so mean again. She nods her head when his hands tighten around her wrists. "Yes, Master."

He hesitates for the briefest of moments before slamming into her with such a force that she screams out because of the pain. Her body wasn't ready for him. She's not ready for him… this new him… She closes her eyes and prays that tonight will be over with quickly.


	18. Chapter 18

Isabel waits until she's sure Tom is asleep before getting up and going to the bathroom. She closes the door and leans against the wood, taking in a very deep, shaky breath. With tears still in her eyes she limps over to the sink and turns on the faucet. Taking a wash cloth and wetting it with the cold water coming from the tap. Why did he do this? She didn't think she did anything that terrible to make him act this way towards her.

She glances at the mirror and immediately looks away. There's a large bruise on her left cheek, her bottom lip is busted, and there are painful bite marks and hickeys covering the top half of her body. He's always been terrible, he's always been mean but he had been so sweet lately and she almost allowed herself to believe that he was changing. He definitely proved her wrong tonight.

She wrings out the water from the wash cloth and brings it down between her legs to wipe away the blood. A sob escapes her lips again as the cool material touches her skin. It burns and it hurts. Her body wasn't prepared for his intrusion and because of that he basically tore her up with his painful thrusts. He's never done that before, he's always made sure she was ready for him before he did anything like that… She drops the wash cloth and brings her hands up to cover her face as she cries. Cursing the stupid locket around her neck that she can't take off.

She catches her breath and goes over to the bath tub to fill it with water, thinking a nice warm bath might ease her pain. Grabbing a towel to wrap her naked body in she turns the handles by the tap and watches as the clear water pours out. She winces every time she moves and as the tub becomes fuller she starts thinking about her daughter. Where is she and will he let her see her again? Is she crying? Does she want her mother and did Tom treat her as badly as he was treating Isabel tonight? A whole new onslaught of tears stings her eyes. She sits down on her knees because it hurts to sit any other way and allows herself to cry.

A knock at the door startles her and she looks at it fearfully "Isabel?" Tom's cool voice comes through to her and she closes her eyes in pain just from hearing it.

"Yes, Master?" she says brokenly, not wanting to upset him anymore.

The door handle turns and he walks in wearing his dark trousers. She looks down at the floor as he watches her. "What are you doing?" he asks in a light voice and she hates that he sounds nicer now. His mood swings are ridiculous.

She licks her lips nervously before responding. "I was just going to take a bath." She almost whispers, totally afraid of him now. There's silent pause for a few moments. She can feel his eyes on her and she starts crying again. "Can I just be alone?" she asks quietly with out moving from her spot on the floor. She looks up at him as he watches her with a furrowed brow. "Please, Master?" It doesn't sound right coming from her mouth but she doesn't want him to hurt her again. That's all he does.

Something close to guilt flashes in his eyes as he takes a step closer to her and she involuntarily flinches away from him… like Calpurnia did to him earlier in his study. "It's alright." He says comfortingly and she narrows her eyes at the floor because of it. "I can heal you."

She shakes her head with out looking at him. "I don't want to be healed." She says because she doesn't want to forget what he's done… and she doesn't want him to forget it either. He can't keep on doing horrible things and think they can be fixed so easily with a flick of his wand.

"That's just silly." He says, taking a seat on the edge of the bath tub and taking his wand from his pocket. "Come here."

She hesitates a moment before standing up. She doesn't want to be anywhere near him right now but she's afraid of what will happen if she doesn't do what he says. She slowly walks over to him, trying not to limp in front of him. When she's standing in front of him he puts his hands on her hips to pull her closer so she's standing in between his open legs. Her body begins to shake as he removes the towel and lets it fall to the floor.

His wand plays across her skin as he heals all of her wounds that he caused. He heals everything but the pain between her legs but she's too proud to tell him. Just when she thinks he's done he runs his hand between her legs and up her inner thigh.

"Does it hurt here too?" he asks softly. So unlike the mad man he was before.

She nods her head tightly and he lifts his wand, mumbling a nice healing spell that soothes the ache there. She doesn't say thank you. He doesn't deserve it. He looks into her eyes for a few moments and she turns her head away from him, unable to look at his dark blue eyes with out wanting to cry.

"I hurt you." He says, more to himself then to her as he brings his hands up to touch her newly healed body.

"You always hurt me." She says quietly and then she clenches her eyes shut thinking he was going to do something bad to her again.

Instead he sighs and places his forehead against her stomach. She refuses to touch him and almost wants to push him off of her. He shouldn't touch her so gently after what he just did.

"I know." He says, before lifting his head and reaching to turn off the water from the bathtub. "You're the only person who can make me feel bad about the things that I do." He admits in a voice that shows he hates to say it.

"Then why do you do them?" she asks softly, looking down at him.

His handsome face looks up to hers and he looks down again so all that she can see is his thick black hair. "I don't know." He says and that's the first time she has ever heard him say something like that.

"Can I take my bath now?" she asks kind of sadly. Not wanting to be around him any longer while he decides if he should be nice to her or not.

He stands up and nods his head tightly. He walks back over to the doorway and as she's lowering herself into the warm water he looks over his shoulder. "Families always forgive each other, don't they?" he asks and she knows that's his horrible attempt at an apology.

She doesn't even look at him. "No." she says as her answer and sinks her head in the water. When she reemerges he's no longer there. She relaxes her body and closes her eyes. She'll never forgive him again.

X

What did she mean by no? Tom stomps down the hallway with his wand gripped tightly in his hand. His other he runs through his hair with a frustrated growl. He hates not feeling in control and right now he feels like he's being pulled a million different ways. Is there a way to balance the two lives he's trying to run right now?

He's tired, but his anger overrides it as he grabs his dark cloak and apparates to Azkaban where most of the war criminals are being held.

With a flick of his wand he's inside and all of the guards stumble around and mumble greetings with wide eyes and pale faces.

"M-My Lord, what are you doing here?" one of them asks.

Tom flicks his wand and the guard goes flying across the room. "I want ten prisoners lined up in front of me right now." He barks out and the others scurry to fulfill his order.

Once the ten chained and dirty men are before him he lifts his wand and goes down the line. Killing them each in a different way, feeling a little bit better as they all fall to the ground with a thud. He leaves with out a word, letting the guards there to clean up his mess. When he gets home he calls for the house elf to bring him a whole bottle of firewhiskey and then he gets drunk.

X

She doesn't even look at him anymore. Her eyes stay downcast when she speaks to him… if she speaks to him. That seems to be few and far between. He didn't think before he acted he just let himself become blinded by what other people were saying. Now she's doing exactly what he told her to and he can't stand it. They're eating dinner together in the dinning hall but he hasn't touched his food. He keeps staring at her.

"What have you done today?" he asks, trying to start a conversation.

She keeps her eyes down to her plate. "Nothing, Master." She says quietly. She doesn't say it sarcastically or with a sneer like she use to in the beginning. Now she says it sadly, almost hopelessly. With a jolt Tom realizes that he's broken her.

"Isabel," he says quietly. "Look at me." She lifts her head to look into his eyes and Tom sees nothing there. She's cold now, indifferent. He touches her hand, she doesn't even move. "Talk to me." He says gently, not realizing how much he missed it until she didn't do it anymore.

She keeps her face a picture of indifference. "What would you like me to say?"

"Anything." He answers, almost desperately.

She looks down again and frowns. "I'm full." She says. "Can I go to bed now?" he narrows his eyes at her. "Please, Master."

"No, you can't go to bed." He snaps hatefully. "Not until you stop acting like this."

"Acting like what?" she asks quietly.

He stands up in frustration. "Like this." He says gesturing towards her. "Like some lifeless doll."

She turns her head away from him completely. "I'm just doing what you told me to." She says quietly. And then adds "Master."

He bangs his fist on the table and she jumps. Pleased that he got a reaction out of her he grabs her arm and forces her stand in front of him. She stares at his throat, not even looking afraid. His hand tightens because of this but she doesn't respond.

"Do you still love me?" he asks darkly, not knowing why he wants to know.

She hesitates a moment before answering. "What do you want me to say, Master?"

"Goddamnit." He says and pushes her against the table. "I want you to tell me that you love me, I want you to stop being this way, and…" he grabs her chin so she'll look at him. "I want you to look at me when I talk to you."

He's almost relieved to see tears forming in her eyes. It means she's not made of stone now. "What do you want from me?" she asks pitifully. "I'm doing what you want aren't I? Are you deciding to treat me nicely today and then tomorrow you'll beat me up again? I never know what you're going to do… I only know that whatever it is you're always going to be terrible to me one way or another."

"I'm not always bad to you." He says gently, staring into her eyes.

She closes them and lets tears fall. "No, you aren't and that's what makes it worse when you're so mean to me."

He lets go of her completely and turns away. "If I told you I was sorry would that change anything?" he asks uncomfortably. He's never apologized for anything in his life but he fears this may be the only way to rectify this situation.

"What thing are you sorry for?" she asks, emotion working it's way into her once flat voice. "You've done so many horrid things to me. Which would this cover, Tom?" she asks fiercely and he's almost happy to hear the anger in her voice.

"Let's just forget this." He says, turning towards her again and pressing himself against her body with his hands on her hips. "Let's just forget this and move on."

He goes to kiss her but she turns away. "Maybe you can do that… but I can't."

"Why not?" he asks sharply. He's not use to not getting his way.

"Are you going to hit me if I don't agree to do what you want?"

"No."

"What about tomorrow, if Bellatrix Lestrange tells you that I tried to kiss another man. Would you hit me then?"

He doesn't answer that because he knows that his temper wouldn't allow it. She shakes her head and lowers her head. "I knew it." She whispers to herself. "Why do you keep me here? You obviously don't like me that much."

"That's not true." He says. Grabbing her face again so she'll look at him. "I wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to have you if I didn't."

"When our daughter grows up do you want her boyfriend or husband to treat her the way you treat me?" she asks, looking him deeply in the eyes. "Would you be ok with him doing the things you did to me, to her?"

He doesn't say anything because he knows he'd kill the first person who ever made his daughter cry… like he's made Isabel cry. With a sigh he steps away from her and runs his fingers through his thick hair. "You can go to your room now." He says tiredly.

He watches with a heavy heart as she makes her way out of the room. Once the door shuts he sits back down and stares at his plate. Unable to do anything else he throws his hand across the table and stands up as everything shatters to the ground.

X

After putting Calpurnia down for the night Isabel brushes a few stands of black hair away from the baby's face. She sighs tiredly and runs her fingers down the smooth skin of her daughter's cheek, tracing the delicate curves and tilts of the little ones face.

"You are going to need so much therapy when you grow up." She says sadly before bending down and kissing her head. "but you'll away be safe with me." She whispers against her skin. After a few moments hesitation she whispers. "I'm sorry, honey." She says it because she feels like she should… because it's a terrible feeling not being able to rightly protect your own child the way a parent is suppose to.

She stands up straight and walks out of the nursery, closing the door softly so she doesn't wake her. She goes into her bedroom and strips off her clothes to take a shower. As the waters banging down on her body she thinks back on how Tom used to be. How ruthless he was back in Hogwarts, after she broke up with him.

In her seventh year they were made head boy and girl, much to her dismay because Tom had been acting so hateful towards her after the break up. It started with angered words and threats, and then escalated to violence. Like shoves in the hallway and random conversations while being pushed into a wall until someone walked by.

She had done well in avoiding him; she even enlisted the help of her friends so she would never have to be alone. When she wasn't hanging out with them, or dodging Tom and his followers in the hallways she was helping Dumbledore do random things like clean his class room, grading papers, or helping him plan his next class. For some reason Tom didn't go near Dumbledore… she never understood why.

She turns off the water in the shower but doesn't move, still stuck in remembering that day, the day he told her that if she went to the Halloween Ball with Samuel Higgins then she would live to regret it. She didn't know what he meant then… but now she does.

She was sitting in the library, reading a book with one of her friends sitting beside her. She knew he was watching her… she could feel his eyes on her as she gently turned a page.

"I'm going to the restroom." Her friend had announced and stood to get up.

Isabel grabbed her arm. "Can't you hold it?"

Her friend rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Tom Riddle is not going to do anything to you in the middle of the library. You can come with me if you'd like."

She chews on her lower lip while she decided. She was about to stand up when she saw Sam walk through the doors. She smiled at him in relief. "No," she said happily. "You can go."

Her friend left her then and Samuel gave her a warm grin before walking towards her.

"Hey there." He says gently. He looked around him to make sure that no one was looking, then he bent down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She blushed. "What have you been up to?"

He lowered his bag to the floor and took the seat opposite of her. "I was just reading up for transfiguration." She told him.

He gave her a lopsided smile. "No wonder you're head girl. All you do is study."

"Now that's not fair." She said with a fake pout. "I hang out with you quite often."

His legs went to tangle with hers and she smiled. "Yes, I am glad you've been able to pencil me in now and then."

She laughed and shook her head. After a few more words he took some homework out of his bag and started to study. A few moments later she heard him make an annoyed groaning sound.

"What is it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What are the ingredients to that one healing potion thing?"

"Healing potion thing?" she repeated back to him with a sly smile.

"You know, that one we did in the class the other day."

"Oh," she says in a fake voice. "That healing potion thing…. We've only done a million of them this year. How could I have possibly forgotten?"

He sent a sharp look at her then and she laughed. "Do you know the ingredients?"

Of course she did, but she wasn't going to tell him. She had helped him enough with his class work this year. "You'll have to look them up."

With another annoyed groan he stood up to find the book that told about the "healing potion thing.' Once he disappeared among a row of books Isabel put her head down and smiled into her book.

"That was disgusting." A smooth voice sneered from behind her. She didn't even have to turn around to know that it was Tom. So she stayed facing forward, intending to ignore him. He pulled a strand of her hair painfully hard so she would face her. She didn't, instead she gathered up her long hair and put it in front of her shoulder. "I'm talking to you." He said sharply.

Again she ignored him so he placed his hands on either side of her body on the table. His body was towering over hers and caging her in underneath him. "Don't ignore me." He said hatefully into her ear.

Trying to act like it didn't matter she turned a page and pretended to read. "Sam will be back any second now. You should leave." She stated flatly.

"He won't be back for a while." He said and her eyes snapped up to the book case that Sam had gone behind. She made to stand up but since he was hovering over her she couldn't move. "We've got a few minutes to talk."

"What do you want?" she asked sharply, turning her head to look up at him.

"I thought it was obvious." Was his answer. He touched her cheek and then let his hand lower to her neck. Her face reddened and her heart beat sped up. His fingers started to undo the first few buttons of her blouse but she was too shocked that he was doing it in the first place to move. "Are you going to the ball Friday?" he asked lightly as his hand started to move inside her shirt.

She panicked and looked around the room. There were only a couple other people in there and they weren't paying attention to what was happening. She went to move away from him but his other hand clamped on her shoulder so she couldn't move.

"Yes, I am." She says steadily. His fingers played with the lining of her bra and she tried to pull his hand away but he was too strong.

"I assume you want to go with the mudblood."

"Don't call him that." She says fiercely. "And yes I'm going with him. He is my boyfriend."

His hand moved aside the cloth of her bra and grabbed her breast. She sucked in a breath as his hands touched her sensitive skin there. "Stop it." She said quietly, completely embarrassed that he was touching her there.

"You are not going with him." he says in a harsh tone as his hand played with her breast. "If I see you there with the disgusting waste of a wand I will make you regret it."

"Let go of me or I'll scream."

He pinched her nipple and she whimpered. He removed his hand and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "I'm serious, Kitten. You do not want to know what I will do."

With that he left and Sam came stumbling out from the book cases, muttering angrily about Slytherins and how all they do is waste his time.

The conversation they had during dinner would never have happened when he was younger, or even when this whole thing between them started. She thinks a part of him must be changing if he was willing to say he was sorry.

But sorry is just a word.

With a sigh she steps out of the shower and wraps herself in a nice warm robe. Realizing how tired she is she doesn't even dress before falling down on the bed and nestling under the covers. She's asleep within a few minutes but is woken up not much later by light kisses moving along her body.

She groggily opens her eyes and sees Tom kissing her stomach. He has opened her robe and he's naked too, his hands are touching her sides. She doesn't even move and she refuses to touch him so she closes her eyes and pretends to sleep again.

"I'm sorry." He says quietly, working his way up her body. "I'm sorry." He repeats again when he reaches her neck. "I know you're awake." He says softly by her ear. "look at me."

Reluctantly she opens her eyes and stares at him. He's looking at her closely with a strange gleam in his eyes. "What?" she whispers.

He kisses her on the mouth and settles himself on top of her body. When he pulls back he looks her in the eyes again. "I love you."

"What?"

He narrows his eyes. "I won't say it again." He says harshly. She heard him the first time but was too shocked to believe it.

That was something she never thought she'd ever hear him say and she's amazed, and a little suspicious. "I thought you said you could never love anyone." She says slowly with a furrowed brow.

"I'm a liar too." He admits and she almost wants to laugh.

"How do I know you're not lying to me right now?"

"You don't." he says solidly but the uneasy look in his eyes tells her that he means it.

She can't decide if it's a good thing.


	19. Chapter 19

"You said that you wanted Calpurnia and me to help change what the public thought about you." Isabel says while staring at Tom on the other side of the bed. They both are lying on their sides, facing each other. "Isn't that what happened? Why did it upset you so much?"

He sighs and turns on his back, placing his head underneath his head. "The people were supposed to like me better; my enemies weren't supposed to see me as weak."

"You didn't have to take it out on me." She says quietly, staring at the bed sheet.

She feels a hand on her hip as he scoots closer to her. "Who should I take it out on then?" he asks with a smirk in his attempt at turning the conversation.

"It's not funny." She says, not quite looking at him. She still can't find herself to become comfortable with him or his apology.

It's one thing to say that you love someone, it's a totally other thing to show it.

He opens his mouth to speak but a cry from the other room cuts him off. "When is she going to learn to speak?" He asks annoyed as Isabel stands up to go get their daughter.

"She's only a baby." She answers walking towards the nursery door. "Don't be mean to her about it, she doesn't understand yet."

He grumbles something and she leaves him in there to fetch the baby. The little girl is sitting up in her crib, just wanting to be held and talked to. So Isabel takes her back to Tom and lays her down on the bed beside him. The baby sits up and smiles a goofy smile at him as he settles down on his back, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't let her crawl off the bed." She tells him, getting her clothes together and building a wall of pillows on the other side of the baby.. "I'm going to take a shower."

He nods his head as she walks away and then settles back down on his pillow. Calpurnia makes a gurgling sound that causes Tom stare at her as she chews on her fist. "Stop doing that." He says, pulling her fist away from her, watching in disgust as the drool forms a bridge between her mouth and hand. "It's not very lady like." He tells her but she giggles at him and crawls towards his body.

He doesn't move or try to play with her so she crawls on top of his chest to get his attention. She gets more drool on his naked chest and he scowls.

"That is disgusting." He says, trying to sit up and be brings a hand up to her back to secure her.

Her little hands comes up to help balance herself as he moves them in a different position and her sticky fingers find perchance in his thick black hair. She pulls. He instantly grabs her hand to pull it away but she doesn't let go.

"Fuck, let go!" he scolds as she yanks on his hair. "Goddamnit, Calpurnia!" She hates it when he yells and hearing her name said so hatefully scares her. She immediately lets go of him and starts crying. "Oh, no." he says tiredly. "You're fine." He tries to calm her down by bouncing her up and down but she doesn't stop.

"What did you do?" Isabel storms out of the bathroom in a dark robe with her wet hair clinging to her face.

"I didn't do anything. She pulled my hair."

She sends him a hateful look as she takes the baby in her arms. "What is your problem?" she asks hatefully. "You can't yell at her like that."

"I didn't yell at her. I just yelled in general. It took me by surprise."

"She isn't even a year old, Tom." She says sharply, staring him down. "And you are a full grown man. You shouldn't be acting that way around her." She rubs Calpurnia's back and rocks her back and forth. "She loves you more then anyone and all you do is scare her when she tries to get close to you."

Before he gets a chance to respond she shakes her head and stomps into the bathroom with Calpurnia against her hip. She slams the door and Tom narrows his eyes at the wood. What the hell just happened? It's like Isabel has turned into this new strong willed woman since she became a mother. She's grown up a lot since the first night she was here.

He can't decide if he's angry or not. He stands up to get ready with a thoughtful expression on his face. 'She loves you more then anyone' Isabel had told him. His daughter is probably the first person who loved him with out being forced or manipulated into it. She just loves him, for no reason at all. Tom likes that and he decides he likes her too.

Once completely dressed he lightly knocks on the bathroom door. "Are you ready yet?" he asks, trying to keep the edge of his voice and telling his temper to forget the way his wife walked away from him earlier.

"Almost." Was the short reply.

He's done trying to be patient so opens the door. Calpurnia is sitting on a towel, playing with her bath toys while Isabel does her hair. Tom comes up behind her and watches her reflection.

"When we go there, you can't talk back to me or question anything I say." He tells her sharply and her eyes snap to his in the mirror. "I'm serious. I won't be pleased if you undermine me in front of everyone." She nods her head to avoid a fight. "Smile and agree with everything I say."

"What time is it?"

"It's five till ten now." He answers, staring at his watch. "I told Octavian to meet us in the main hallway at ten."

"We're going to be late." She states while drawing in closer to the mirror to fix some of her make up. "I still have to get Cali ready."

Tom turns towards Calpurnia as she chews away on a rubber duck. She's wearing a light yellow footed sleeper and her dark hair is all over the place. "How long will that take?" he asks sharply. He hates being late.

"I have the dress she's going to wear set out on the changing table in her room." She answers watching him closely out of the corner of her eyes. "It would save time if you did it." He glares at the wall and a small, amused smile comes to her face. "You'd have to change her diaper too."

"How long are you going be?" he snaps angrily, with his hands on his hips.

She almost laughs at him but she covers it with a small cough. "I still have to put on my dress." She answers and he scowls at the towel she's wearing.

He sits and fumes for a few moments, tapping his foot and glancing at his watch before swearing under his breath. He picks his daughter up off of the ground and goes to leave the bathroom.

"Be nice to her, Tom." Isabel scolds before he shuts the door.

"Be nice to her, Tom." He mimics in a terrible female voice as he walks towards the nursery with Calpurnia against his chest.

He sets her down in the center of the crib as he walks over to the changing table and picks up the black velvet dress with the red sash that tie in a bow in the back. Next, he notices the small white tights and the shiny black dress shoes. He flicks a glance at his daughter who's watching him curiously through the bars in her crib. There is no way that he's changing a diaper.

He calls for a house elf. As soon as the small creature enters the room Calpurnia panics and scoots to the furthest corner in her crib, closing her eyes and crying.

"What the fuck are you crying about now?" he demands to know with his hands on his hips as the house-elf lowers the crib wall to take her out.

A strange scream leaves her lips as she turns her body away from the elf and Tom quickly silences the doors so Isabel doesn't stomp in here demanding to know what he did to her this time. The house elf tries to touch her but she screams again and starts to shake.

He walks over to where she sitting and pats her head. "Stop crying." He tells her flatly. She looks up to him with panicked eyes and reaches her arms up to him, bouncing her body on her knees to get closer.

With a frustrated sigh he picks her up and she buries her head into his neck, gripping his shirt with her hands. "You can leave." He says harshly to the elf that pops away with wide eyes. "See," he whispers into her ear. "The big bad elf is gone now. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

It takes a while for her body to stop shaking and when she's finished he lays her down on the changing table. He unzips her sleeper very carefully, having never done this before and when he takes it off of her he stares in complete loathing at her diaper. "This is foul." He says hatefully. "I shouldn't be doing this."

He makes the most unattractive face as he takes it off of her and he turns his head away as he throws it in the trash bin. As she's lying there, naked staring up at him with wide blue eyes he realizes he has no idea where anything is in this room. He starts sorting through drawers, looking for diapers and wipes with one hand on her stomach so she doesn't roll off the table.

"Damnit." He says to himself when he doesn't find them right away. He looks across the room and sees a whole pile of what he needs on the table. "Why is it way over there?" He snaps hatefully as he picks the naked baby up and storms over to the table to grab what he needs.

As he's stomping back to the changing table he feels something hot and wet on his shirt. He freezes and holds her out away from his chest. He looks down at his soaked clothes and then back up to her. He narrows his eyes.

"You just peed on me." He says in a disbelieving voice. "You just peed on me." He repeats again. "How can one little thing pee so much." He snaps hatefully. He's the freaking Dark Lord! He shouldn't be doing this.

She laughs at him, clapping her hands, and he raises and he eyebrow as he stomps back and lays her down on the changing table for the second time. "Do you think that's funny?" he snaps and she giggles a little bit more. He puts the second diaper on her a little forcefully. "It's not funny." He says but she still smiles at him, trying to grasp his fingers.

When he's done with that he puts the white tights on her legs and he thinks he just may outlaw the damn things. They are way to fucking hard to put on a little wiggling baby. Next comes the velvet dress and it takes him a good fifteen minutes to figure out how to get it over her head as she moves around, trying to get away from him. Finally he snaps on the little shoes and runs his fingers through her hair to tame it. He sits back and stares at her for a few seconds feeling almost proud of himself.

He picks her up, making sure to hold her away from the parts of him that are covered in her pee and as he turns to the doorway he sees Isabel leaning against the frame with her arms crossed and a amused smile plays on her lips. "How long have you been there?" he snaps. She could have comes in and helped him.

She pushes off the door and walks towards him. "Since you told the house-elf to leave." She admits and smiles widely at the scowl on his face. She walks closer to him and takes the little girl from his arms while placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "We're going to be very late, by the way." She says against his cheek before pulling back. "That took you over half an hour and you still have to go change." She states, eyeing the wetness on his shirt up and down.

He cusses loudly and storms out of the room, leaving the doors open so they'll follow him. Isabel laughs and touches Calpurnia's nose.

"Daddy's silly."

X

He's wearing the silver serpent crown again. Isabel watches him from the corner of her eyes as he gives his speech to the crowd of people about the new policies he's introducing. They sound more like restricting rules the anything else. She tries to ignore that he's a horrid dictator but sometimes she can't escape it.

"We can not allow our opposition to think they still have a hold over us." He says 'we' to the crowd of common people like they were together in this, like it wasn't just him making all of the decisions. He rests his hands on the podium and looks around the audience with a fierce look on his face. His voice is booming as he speaks into the microphones that filter his voice through the wireless radios for people to listen at home, across the world.

"We have to prove a point to war criminals that we do not tolerate that kind of behavior. It has to stop now. They're midnight attacks and kidnappings pose a major danger to our society." Isabel looks out to the crowd as they watch him in perfect silence, taking in everything he's saying. Agreeing with everything, whether they like it or not.

He pauses for a moment and looks back to her, almost challenging her with his eyes. She's confused by that but his next words make her realize why. "Starting next week there will be public executions of any man or woman who goes against our progress to make the Wizarding world a better place. I can not let this selected terrorism go on any further."

Isabel's mouth has gone dry as she watches his profile. The crowd has gone so silent that you could hear a pin drop. "Don't worry." He says with smirk, unable to hold back his snide self. "If you aren't a criminal of war, you have nothing to fear."

Half the audience claps enthusiastically while the others look around with nervous eyes and clap because they have to. Isabel keeps her face blank but inside she's scowling. How can he be this way? He was so cute this morning with their daughter but now he's back to being the ruthless Dark Lord.

"I have proven to you many times that I am setting our world on the right track. We will live in fear no longer of being found out by the muggles. We live on this planet too and we don't need to hide anymore, no matter what the rebels think. We use force because we have to, not because we want to." She almost snorts when he says that because it's not true. "There must be violence before there is peace. It's the only way."

He makes a motion with his hand and Isabel watches closely as a woman is brought out from the side of the stage. She narrows her eyes trying to see who it is but a tap on her shoulder makes her look away.

"Ma'am." The young woman whispers. "The little miss is crying for you." She says and Isabel flicks one last look at the brown haired woman on the stage before turning around and following the young woman into the building.

Tom had hired these maids to watch Calpurnia during his speech but Isabel knew it wouldn't last long. Calpurnia is rarely ever around other people then her and Tom so it would make sense that she would cry when she was left with out them. When Isabel enters the small sitting room, a young girl with blonde hair is bouncing the screeching baby in her arms.

"I'll take her now." Isabel says, as she walks over to the stressed looking maid who looks up to her with fearful eyes. "She's probably getting hungry."

The blonde looks pale as Isabel takes the baby and she looks at her suspiciously. "I'm sorry, Ma'am. She wouldn't stop crying." She says with a shaky voice and Isabel can sympathize with her. It has to be nerve wracking to baby-sit Lord Voldemort's child. "I promise we did all we could."

"Don't apologize. You're fine." She tells her lightly, going over to the corner to sort through the baby bag for a bottle. She kisses Calpurnia's hair as she takes one out of the temperature controlled bag and as soon as the little girl sees it she stops crying and grabs it. The baby furrows her little dark eyebrows as she sucks on her bottle. "See, she was just a little hungry." She says with a smile.

She looks around the small room and sees a wireless against the wall. "Turn that on." She says, nodding her head towards it. She wants to hear the rest of Tom's speech.

"…One of Harry Potter's allies against me." His deep voice booms into the room through the radio. Calpurnia settles down a little more when she hears it and Isabel smiles down at her. It's cute that her father's voice can calm her…. when he's not yelling. "This woman and her friends attempted to burn down our army bases that held the young soldiers that were fighting for our freedoms." Isabel wants to roll her eyes. His cryptic words sound good to someone who doesn't really know what's going on. "Miss Granger is a menace to our new society and she'll be the first in our campaign to rid the world of our opposition."

Miss Granger? As in Hermione Granger? Isabel knew her from the burrow so long ago, the last time she saw her alive was when Tom was sworn in at the ministry over a year ago. What had become of her? She wants to panic. No wonder Tom told her she can't talk back or question anything he was going to do today. He's going to kill her. She can't stop him now and if she tries then he'll just hurt her again like always… and it's just another thing their daughter shouldn't see.

She clenches her jaw shut and turns away. "Turn it off now." He says quietly and one of the girls turns it off with a click. She waits there in the little room until some one comes to fetch her.

When she returns to Tom's side there is a red tint to his eyes and that strange smirk that he gets when he over powers someone, when he kills someone, rests on his lips. She can't look at him like that. He leads them back to their apparition point where he dismisses his guards and takes out his wand. His pale fingers come up and run down the side of Calpurnia's soft cheek as he smiles at her.

"Are you ready to go home, little one?" She reaches for him and he takes her in his arms, feeling very sentimental. "Are you ready to go home too?" he asks Isabel softly.

Home. She doesn't know if that's what she'd call it but she nods anyways.

"Did you enjoy my speech?" he smirks when they land in the main hallway.

"I think you know how I felt about your speech." She snaps.

He raises and eyebrow at her and she looks away. "So you liked it?" he says with a smirk. Sometimes she hates him so much. She starts to walk away from him. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to my room." She turns around with her arms crossed. "Do you want me to take her?"

"No, and you can't go to your room."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

She closes her eyes and takes a very deep breath before responding. "What do you want?"

He watches her for a few moments with a blank face, ignoring the babbling from his daughter. His eyes narrow and she waits for his outburst. He's always angry at her for something or the other. "We're having dinner with a few of my follower tonight."

"Okay," she says slowly.

He turns around and starts walking away from her. "You can go to your room now." He mumbles over his shoulder and she watches his narrow back with a strange look in her eyes.

"Tom," he stops, but doesn't turn around. "You're a good orator but I didn't like anything you said." She says, giving him a compliment because that's what he was waiting for.

"I can't stand you some times." He snaps and continues walking.

"I can't stand you either." She mumbles to herself, totally honest. She watches him walk away before going upstairs and collapsing on the bed.

X


	20. Chapter 20

"Do I look aright?" Isabel asks as she looks at herself in the mirror. Not sure about the red dress that she's wearing. "This isn't too suggestive is it?"

Tom snorts as he reclines on the bed with his hands on his chest. "We're not in the forties anymore. What you're wearing is considered tame." He answers as he watches her check herself out again. His eyes travel from her exposed legs all the way up to her dipping neck line and his blue eyes darken. "You look good." He admits with his crossed legs bouncing impatiently against the mattress.

"I don't know…" she mumbles to herself as she chews on her lower lip.

Calpurnia sits up beside Tom on the bed and he picks her up, placing her on his chest. "Tell Mommy she looks pretty." He tells the little girl, loud enough for Isabel to hear. Calprunia claps her hand and coos something in reply and Tom lifts his eyes brows. "See, she thinks you look fine."

Isabel tears her eyes away from her reflection and smiles over at her daughter and Tom who's holding her. She tries to forget what happened earlier this morning and if Tom was willing to pretend like he didn't snap at her then she was going to pretend as well. Things go a lot smoother when she forgets what a jerk he can be. She walks over to them and picks the little girl up.

"Is she eating with us too?" Isabel asks as she touches her daughter's hair. "If she isn't I'm going to put her in her pajamas."

"Do you think it would be wise for her to be around the people who are coming tonight?" he asks, watching his wife closely.

She shrugs her shoulders and sits down beside him on the bed. "I'd rather her be with us but she has already had her dinner." She says honestly. She turns over to him and places her arm on his chest so she can lean on him. "We can do what you think is best."

He smirks and touches her hair. "Good choice of words. You should put her in her pj's now." He says and she nods her head. "I don't think she would enjoy being around the stuffy adults that will be over… and I don't think they want to dodge the food she'll try to throw at them."

Isabel snorts and stands up to walk to the nursery. She takes the velvet dress and tights off of Calpurnia and smiles down at her as she puts on the pink baby sleeper. Calpurnia yawns and stretches her body as Isabel runs her fingers down her stomach.

"Are you tired, sweetheart?" She holds the little girls against her shoulder, giving her the white pacifier and rubbing her back. "Tom," she calls to get his attention, he walks into the nursery and leans against the doorframe. "What time is everyone coming?"

He looks down at his watch and then back to her. "Everyone will be showing up in about fifteen minutes."

"I'm going to try to get her to sleep. Do you mind if I'm a little bit late getting down there?" she asks softly, hoping he's in a better mood.

He looks down at his watch again and sighs. "Just don't be too late." He walks towards them and kisses Calpurnia's head. "Goodnight, little girl." He says quietly before winking at Isabel and leaving the room.

She watches him go with a little smile on her face before shaking her head and sitting down on the rocking chair. He murdered someone this morning in front of a whole crowd of people and then he can play the loving family man. What kind of a person is he? Isabel leans back in the chair and runs her fingers through her daughter's hair, the hair the same jet black as Tom's and she groans. He's the kind of person she can't away from so there is no good in sitting around and complaining about him.

Calpurnia is asleep in ten minutes so Isabel gently places her in her crib and covers her up with a soft blanket. She kisses her cheek and then leaves the room to go to the dinning hall to meet Tom and his stupid 'followers.' Of course they're all early and when she opens the door she's met with the Malfoy family, Octavian and his wife, the Lestrange's, and a few other's that she doesn't know the name of. Bellatrix eyes her dress and Isabel makes a mental not to tell Tom not to invite her places anymore.

They all stand when she enters and surprisingly Tom does too and he holds out his chair for her. She eyes him suspiciously as she sits down but he avoids her gaze and drinks his wine when he settles back in his seat at the head of the table.

"Congratulations on your wonderful speech today, My Lord." Lucius Malfoy says, raising his glass. "I believe it was a success."

The rest agree and raise their glasses in salute of it. Isabel reluctantly lifts her glass as well and Tom smirks at her as she does this. After everyone cheers and congratulates him she downs her whole glass in one gulp and watches it refill with shining eyes. The first course is served and conversation dies down to an occasional hum as everyone digs into the delicious food set out before them. Tom takes a few bites of his meal and then sits back in his chair, surveying his guest. Isabel watches him do this out of the corner of her eyes but knows better then to question him.

"I have a proposition." He says, startling everyone out of there peace. He's sitting against the back of his chair with a glass of wine in his hands. "Since you all are bound to me personally, I know that it won't leave this room."

Isabel watches him closely as the people agree and nod their heads in acceptance. "We're right where we want to be. We've reached our goal of making England completely wizard dominated and are working towards solidifying our hold on other countries." He says, watching them with his sharp eyes. "Hogwarts only accepts pureblood children and halfbloods if they pay full tuition." He states and then he puts his glass down. "Mudbloods are still being produced in non-magical families and they're causing a menace to muggle societies."

Bellatrix snorts. "Let them." she says.

Tom's eyes snap to hers. "I use to think that to. I use to think that they were useless but now I see their purpose." Isabel places her hands on her lap and furrows her brows as he continues speaking. "I think we need to open a school for the mudbloods and allow them to learn magic in a controlled environment. They will go for four years as opposed to Hogwart's seven and they will only learn basic principals of magic."

"They'll be allowed to carry wands?" Isabel asks.

He nods his head. "With proper identification and papers of their blood status they can. We won't let them contaminate or integrate with our pureblooded children, but we can use them to do jobs that we don't want to do, paying them a lower rate, and they will strengthen our numbers against the muggles when we expose ourselves to them."

"That's just asking for an uprising." Isabel tells him, ignoring everyone else in the room and staring at her husband. "If you make them second class citizens and give them a little bit of power they will try to over throw you."

"Not if we get them young enough, then they won't know the difference."

She shakes her head. "There will always be someone who says that isn't right. It's basic human law to be equal with one another."

"That's why we have the public executions to stamp down that kind of person and to set fear in others who think that way." He says, staring into her eyes.

"What if more magical children of muggles are produced then fullblooded magical ones?" she asks diplomatically. She sits forward in her chair and rests her hands on the table. "They'll out number you and I doubt many of them will want to fight against their parents or families in your armies if they were brought up in a muggle world and then thrown into a world where they're treated worse then anyone."

He taps his fingers against the arm rest of his chair. "That's why I think we'll have people go out into the muggle communities and test these mudblood children. Only the most powerful will be allowed to come to us and then we'll send them into the four year program that I'm sure will change they're mind about things."

"Weren't you the one that said mudbloods steal their magic from regular witches and wizards?" she asks, changing topics. "How does that factor into this plan?"

"We aren't talking about that." He says sharply and then he finally breaks eye contact with her and looks around the table. "What are your thoughts on the matter?" he says to the table as they look between him and his wife with interest.

"I think it's a wonderful idea." Bellatrix says and everyone at the table agrees. Isabel wants to roll her eyes.

Octavian clears his throat. "My Lord, if I may." Tom nods his head. "During this four year learning program would we erase the memories of their prior lives. Like Isabel said, they wouldn't want to fight against they're families… but if they didn't know they had families in the first place then that would work, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, that was the plan." Tom says with a smirk and everyone at the table nods their head and tells them it's a wonderful idea again. "This way we can keep tabs on them and there is no other untapped source of magic gathering on the other side."

"But what about the older people who know what it was like before you took over? If you have these schools for muggle born children… what if they try to school them on equal rights? Isn't that what happened the first time?"

Tom turns to Isabel again and skim his eyes over her body. "I didn't know you would have so much so say on the matter." He says with a tilt of his eyebrows. "The blood traitors in our world are being taken care off and should be a distant memory once this reform school is set up."

"If they don't join the army what kind of jobs will you give them?" she asks again and he glares at her.

"Do you not like the idea?" He snaps and the people at the table have gone silent.

She chews her lower lip as she stares at him. "No, I like the idea…" she lies just for the sake of not having him yell at her. "I'm just making sure all areas are covered."

"I can assure you I have that all taken care of." He snaps again and she falls to the back of her chair and downs her glass of wine again. "Malfoy, I want you to look into finding a building to hold this kind of program and Octavian I want you to put together a set schedule for the classes and the teachers, and the rest of you I want you to think of different alternatives for the growing number of mudbloods."

"Yes, My Lord." They all say.

Tom turns to Isabel. "and I want you to stop questioning me."

"I was only trying to help." She says softly, drinking another glass of wine. "I want your plan to succeed." Another lie, but he's going to yell at her soon and she wants to deaden that outcome.

He snorts and turns away from her. The rest of night she doesn't speak as he discusses other plans to his inner circle. Every time her glass refills she gulps it down so by the time everyone is gone she is completely drunk. As Tom stands in the main hallway to see off his people Isabel sits on the stairs and takes off her shoes and starts singing. He glares at her over his shoulder and she smiles

"Stop making that noise." He says sharply as he walks past her to go to his study.

"I'm singing." She says, standing up to follow him. For some reason all that wine makes her want to touch him. "I like to sing. Do you like to sing, Tom?"

"What you were just doing was not singing." He says, stepping into his office and trying to close the door in her face but she stops it with her foot. "Go to bed." He orders, turning around to glare at her. "You drank too much tonight… like some uncivilized barbarian."

For some reason Isabel finds that very funny and she starts laughing. He narrows his eyes again and grabs her arm to push her out of the room but she throws her arms around his neck and kisses him hard on the mouth. He grabs her wrists and pushes her back, wiping off his mouth with his free hand.

"You just got spit all over me." She laughs again and tries to touch him. "It's not funny. You're acting like an idiot."

"Tom, don't call me names." She says with a pout. "I don't like it when you're mean to me… well… I do like it some times." She admits drunkenly as she walks over to his liquor case and takes out his bottle of firewhiskey. He's behind her in a second and takes it out of her hands. "Tom…"

"You're not drinking anymore. You're already wasted." He says angrily, putting the glass back. "Now go to bed."

"I don't want to go to bed. I want to talk to you." She says, turning around and touching him again. Why can't she stop touching him? "Tom, why did you burn down my house?"

"What?" he says sharply. Totally annoyed with her as he walks away and sits down on his desk chair.

"My house, Prewett Manor. Why did you burn it down?"

"Who told you that?"

She walks over to him of shaky legs and sits on the desk. "Mrs. Weasley told me. Did you know that we're related… she's like my great grand niece or something." She laughs again. "Isn't that funny… that I'm older then her but she's older then me." She looks at Tom and touches his hair. "You know since I'm related to the Weasleys that means you're related to the Weasleys because you are my husband."

He flicks her hand off of him and looks down at the stack of papers on his desk. Trying to ignore her now. "You know, I like that you're my husband." She says, looking out the window with her flushed face and unfocused eyes. He watches her closely out of the corner of his eyes now. Wanting to know what else she has to admit. "I never thought that I'd like you that much." She says and he narrows his eyes. "But I do." She turns to him again and he looks back down at his papers. "Do you think I like you so much because you're so handsome? Is that shallow of me to only like you because you're good looking?"

"Get out." He says pushing her off of his desk.

She lands on her bottom but doesn't move to get up. She starts to laugh and then a sad noise leaves her lips. "That's not the only reason why I like you." She says softly, suddenly fascinated by her dress. She sits up on her knees and touches him again. She can't stop touching him. "I love you, Tom." She says, kissing his jaw. "I think I love you because you're so smart, and witty, and funny when you don't try to be." She starts to kiss his neck and he settles back a little bit so she can have more room to do so. She places a hand on his leg and the other she places in his hair. "I don't like it when you're so mean to me… but I do like it when you're in control. I like how powerful you are." She says, admitting things that she would be mortified to say when she was sober.

"You're drunk." He says, gripping his papers with his hands. "You need to go to bed."

"I need you." She says, rubbing her hand over the front of his pants. He inhales deeply, not use to her being so forward. "I want you to make love to me, Tom."

"You're drunk." He says again but makes no move to change his position.

"I want you to take me on your desk." She says into his ear. He turns his head to look at her and she kisses him urgently. "Please, Tom. I'm wet already. I need it."

"You are going to be so embarrassed tomorrow when I tell you about this." He says as he sits back. Allowing her to stand in front of his chair and remove her red dress. "You aren't going to believe it."

"I'll remember." She says when she's down to her bra and knickers. She leans forward and places her hands on his legs as she kisses him again. "Tell me you love me again." She says against his lips.

"Take off your bra." He says with a smirk as she stands back up straight.

She reaches behind her back and undoes the clasp of her bra, letting it fall to the ground. His eyes darken as she does this and he sits forward in his chair, putting hands behind her back to pull her closer to him. She runs her fingers through his dark hair as he plays and sucks on her breasts. His fingers hook in the band on her knickers and he kisses her stomach as he slowly slides them down her legs.

"Do you like the way I look?" she asks him as he sits back to survey her again. He nods his head tightly and she can see his arousal through his pants. "Do you like the way I look better then Bellatrix Lestrange?" she asks seriously.

He snorts and stands up, situating her so that she's sitting on his desk. "Bellatrix Lestrange has the body of a fifty year old woman." He says kissing her neck and spreading her legs with his hands. "So yes, I like you much better."

"What about Sylvia Kennoth? Do you like the way I look better then her?" he pulls back and raises an eyebrow at that.

"That was a long time ago." He says. "Unbutton my shirt." He orders and she sits up straight to unbutton his dark dress shirt. She kisses his exposed chest as it becomes visible to her and he watches her with intense eyes as he rubs the smooth skin on her body.

"But she liked you an awful lot." She says letting his shirt fall open and pressing her naked chest against his as she kisses him again. "Do you remember? She was always coming out of your room seventh year."

"Yes, I remember." He snaps. Unbuckling his pants and watching her and she sits back with her hands behind her back, practically inviting him to touch her again. "It doesn't matter."

"Did you fuck her?" she asks using language she would never allow herself to use with out the urging of wine. "All those times you yelled at me for kissing Sam, did you fuck her while I was doing that?"

"Yes." He says, grabbing her hips to situate her at the edge of the table so he can ease himself in side of her.

"I don't want to fuck anyone but you." She admits as he uses his fingers to play with her. She arches her back and gasps when his fingers skim over her most sensitive spot. "Tom, you're the only person I've ever wanted like this." She says softly as he brings up his fingers to lick off her essence.

"You know I would kill whoever else you did want like this." He says and she smiles. Her drunk mind finding that endearing. "Tell me how much you want me." He says, easing himself inside of her but pulling out completely until she tells him.

"I want you more then anything." She says, closing her eyes and biting her lip as he teases her some more. "Please, I want you, Tom. I need you inside me." He hooks her legs under his arms and lets her knees rest in the crooks on his elbows as she falls back on the desk. She reaches out to touch his chest and lets her fingers slide down his smooth stomach. "I love you."

He slides into her easily and watches her face as he pulls back and thrusts in again. She's making delicious little noises as her flushed face turns to the side and she bites her hand from yelling out. He watches her body underneath him and almost wishes she was drunk more often. He lets her legs fall from his arms and he hooks them around his hips so he can fall on top of her and kiss her.

"You're perfect." He says before he kisses her lips.

She moans in response and wraps her arms around his back. He stands up straight again and grips her hips to give himself more power as he uses her body. Her back arches and bunches up a stack of papers in her hands as she clenches around him and calls out his name. Tom tightens his jaw, making it twitch, in an attempt to keep his control but he loses it when clenches around him one last time. He stops himself from making noise and nearly bites his lip off as he slowly milks his orgasm with slow strokes. He collapses on top of her breathing heavily into her ear.

"I don't care that you're evil." She says groggily, almost ready to pass out. "I'll do whatever you want…. I'll give you as many children as you want… if you keep on touching me like that." She says as she closes her eyes and turns her head.

"That's good to know." He says against her hair as he stands up and rights his clothes.

He helps her back into her underwear and she passes out on the one of the couches in his study as he scorgifies his desk and attempts to get a little more paper work done before he has to go to bed.

X

Isabel wakes up on the couch in the study and groans as the light assaults her eyes. She places her hand over her head and sits up, letting the blanket that was covering her fall and then she realizes she's only in her underwear so she grabs it to cover herself and looks around to make sure no one saw her. The room is completely empty.

She falls back on the couch because the room is spinning before taking a deep breath. She sits back up and scrunches up her eyes as a headache slams into her. She drank way too much last. Along with that thought comes images and she blushes deep scarlet when she realizes what she did. She sinks back down into the cushions of the couch and frowns. He'll never let her forget that.

After a few moments of trying to pretend like last night didn't happen she stands up, sending a rather embarrassed look over to Tom's desk, and wraps the blanket around her body a little tighter. She leaves the room, intending to take a shower and brush her teeth. She checks the nursery before she does this and notices that Calpurnia isn't in there. Figuring that Tom has her she takes a long shower, relaxing her muscles and soothing the bruise she now has on her back side. What a jerk Tom was to push her off his desk!

She gets dressed and once she's fully cleaned and ready for the day she walks out of the room to find her daughter. She walks down the twisted hallways with her hands behind her back. She catches a nervous looking house-elf who said Tom and the baby are out in the garden so Isabel goes out side and follows the trail towards them. She walks around, trying to find them and when she hears Tom's voice she stops.

"You shouldn't eat that." He says solidly. "You aren't going to like it." There's a pause and Calpurnia coughs. "See, I told you not to do that."

She turns the corner and sees Tom sitting on one of the stone benches, reading the paper while Calpurnia sits on a blanket in front of him wearing a light blue dress and matching hat. She's eating a handful of dirt.

"Tom." Isabel scolds as she walks over to the baby and takes the dirt from her hands. "No, honey, this is yucky." She says wiping off her small hands with the blanket. "It will make you sick." She says as Calpurnia sticks out her tongue in disgust.

"I told her she wouldn't like it." Tom says, not taking his eyes from the paper. Isabel rolls her eyes. "Hopefully the other children we have listen to me better then she does." That gets a glare from her and he smirks. "Don't you remember saying last night that you would have all the children that I wanted?"

She blushes and turns away from him. "I was drunk." She says wiping away more dirt from her daughter's face.

"Yes, you were, my needy little wife. I'm glad to know your real feelings about things." he says totally amused at the blush on her cheeks.

"You took advantage of the situation." She says, trying to cover for herself.

"I think you took advantage of me." He says standing over them and smiling down at Calpunia. "I kept telling you to go to bed."

"By pushing me off your desk. I have a bruise there now."

"You thought it was funny at the time. Thankfully for me I'm so extremely handsome that you will always forgive me whether you want to or not." He says before kneeling down and helping Calpurnia to her feet on shaky legs. "I want to show you something." He tells her. "Stand over there."

Isabel goes to the place that he pointed to and stands with her hands on her hips as Tom has Calpurnia wrap her little fingers around his. "Let's go to your mother." He says down to her, walking her over to Isabel.

She stays standing as he walks her towards Isabel who drops her hands and kneels down. Feeling some excitement build in her heart.

"Come here, baby." She says, holding out her arms. Calpurnia's eyes light up as her little, chubby legs move faster. Tom slowly lets go of her fingers and Calpurnia nearly runs the rest of her way by herself and Isabel catches her before she falls. "Oh, how wonderful!" she says excitedly. Kissing her daughters face all over the place. "You're so big now!"

"She did it this morning with out me even noticing." Tom drawls as he stands up and watches Isabel squeeze their daughter. "She was holding herself up against that statue over there and the next moment I looked up she was babbling and standing right in front of me with a huge smile on her face."

"Sweetheart!" she says happily. Almost wanting to cry. "You are a walker now! Tom, isn't she so big." She says with a smile, kissing her daughter again.

"Yes…" he trails off and then looks at his watch. "I have to go and drawl up that mudblood program plan." He says shortly. Isabel nods her head not really looking at him. "When I'm finished I want you to look at it."

Her face snaps to his as she straightens the baby's hat. "What?"

"When I'm finished writing it I want you to look at it… You obviously have some thoughts on the matter as opposed to my circle who just agree with whatever I say." He says, looking away from her. Not use to asking someone else for their opinion. "Alright?" he snaps.

She smiles at him and looks back down. "If you want me to." She says, almost wanting to laugh at him. She stands up and holds Calpurnia against her hip as Tom walks by them. He stops for the briefest moment to kiss her forehead and touch the baby's cheek. "Have fun." She says with a smirk.

"You stay away from the wine."


	21. Chapter 21

"Cali, why you be bad to Daddy?"

"Go to sleep, Madelyn."

"But why you be bad to him?"

"Lay down and go to sleep."

"But why you be bad?" Madelyn asks with her tiny face scrunched up in concern. "You made Daddy mad." Calpurnia turns around in her bed and crosses her arms, refusing to answer her sister. "Cali."

"What!" the five year old hisses, looking over her shoulder and glaring at her three year old sister in a move she learned from her Father. "Leave me alone."

"But why you be bad to Daddy?" the little girl asks for the millionth time.

Calpurnia sits up in her bed and pushes her black bangs away from her face. "Daddy was yelling at Mommy again." She admits in a harsh voice. "And I told him to stop. That's why I was being mean… No go to sleep."

"Why he yell at her?" Madelyn asks, sitting up in her bed like her sister.

"He always yells at her." the five year old mumbles before taking her baby doll and cuddling it to her chest as she lies back down. "Just go to sleep, Maddie."

Madelyn lies back down against her pillows and plays with the ear on her bunny rabbit. The night light allows her to flick little glances over at her sister as she stares up at the ceiling with a scowl on her face. Both girls close their eyes but immediately open them when the door to their room opens.

"Hey." Comes their mother's soft voice. Isabel walks further into the room knowing both are awake and she sits down on her oldest daughter's bed. "Sweetheart, we need to talk." She says softly; touching the little girl's hair and tucking a dark strand behind her ear.

"Mommy, you lay down with me?" Madelyn asks hopefully from her bed on the other side of the room.

Isabel smiles at her. "In a little bit."

Maddie smiles and lays back down. Isabel looks back at Calpurnia who has her arms crossed and her brows furrowed. "Cali, when your father tells you to leave the room… you should do as he says."

"But he was yelling at you!" she says angrily, sitting up.

"We were having a disagreement." She says trying to cover up Tom's ridiculous temper like it was merely a discussion and not a one sided yelling match. "and I don't want you around when that happens. So next time Daddy tells you to go to your room. I want you do listen to him, okay?"

"But, Mommy—"

"No, Calpurnia." She says a little more sternly. "I need you to trust me on this, alright?" she says looking into her daughter's blue eyes. "I love that you wanted to stand up for me but when your father starts talking like that you have to just let me handle it, okay?" Calpurnia nods reluctantly. "It's a grown up thing that little girls don't have to worry about."

"Ok." She says softly, staring down at her doll.

Isabel leans in and kisses her on the cheek. "I love you." She says against her skin.

"I love you more then chocolate." Calpurnia says with a smirk.

Isabel smiles down at her and tucks the covers a little tighter around her. "Close your eyes and go to sleep now." She watches with a fond smile as Cali leans back on her pillows and closes her eyes. She gives her one more kiss before heading over to Madelyn's bed.

She lies down beside her youngest daughter who snuggles up against her. "Baby boy." the little girl mumbles quietly while touching Isabel's pregnant stomach. "Baby boy go to sleep too."

"Yes, baby boy is going to sleep too. So should you." She says as she kisses her cheek and touches her black curly hair. Both girls inherited his dark hair as well as their one year old brother. Isabel looks down at her stomach and touches the new baby. He probably will too.

After Madelyn falls asleep, Isabel stands up from the bed with a sigh and reluctantly makes her way back to the main bedroom where she knows her angry husband is waiting for her with another equally upset baby. Then she inhales deeply before she opens the door and steps inside.

"Is he asleep yet?" she asks reluctantly as she eyes Tom with a little boy in his arms. They almost have the same hair styles. Their black hair sticks up all which ways as Castor cries and Tom sneers.

"You've already poisoned them against me." He says sharply as he paces around the room. "Of course he isn't fucking asleep yet."

Isabel sighs before walking into the room, taking the crying baby from his father's arms. It was Tom's idea to have so many children… he should be able to handle it better. She holds the baby against her chest, in the most comfortable position as her pregnant stomach will allow and he calms down against her shoulder when she gives him his pacifier.

"See." He says sharply. "What did I tell you?"

She wants to laugh at him but knows better. She kisses Castor's hair and rubs his back. "You need to be nicer to your Daddy." She tells him so that Tom can hear. "You're going to give him a complex. He's sensitive."

"It's not funny." He says hatefully and she smirks so that he can't see. "And now even Calpurnia is talking back to me like some ungrateful brat."

"Tom, she's only five. You know she loves you… she just doesn't like it when you yell like that."

He sends her a heated glare and she wants to roll her eyes. She's been here with him for over five years and thanks to spells and charms neither have them aged, only their children have.

"Sometimes I need to yell like that." He says hatefully. "It seems to be the only way I'm heard around here."

"Will you calm down?" she says, covering the baby's ears as he dozes off against her shoulder.

"Don't tell me what to do!" he yells again. She looks at him blankly before walking into Castor's room to lay him down in his crib and tries to ignore Tom's hostile glare as she reenters the bed room. She sits down on the bed to sooth her aching feet form carrying another one of his freaking children. "You are the reason I'm this way right now. If you would have just kept your mouth shut then we would be fine."

"Tom, can we just drop this…" she says tiredly.

"No, we can't." he hisses as he stomps in front of her and crosses his arms. "You were the one who brought it up in the first place."

Her anger gets the better of her and she glares at him. "You can't kill people in front of our children, Tom! What kind of sociopaths do you want them to turn out to be?"

"The younger they learn what happens to traitors the better." He says solidly.

She rubs her forehead and shakes her head. "You can't do that to them, it's not fair."

"What does that mean?" he snaps.

"Just let them have a childhood." She says heatedly. "Just because you didn't have a great one doesn't mean we all have to suffer for it." He narrows his eyes as he glares down at her and she sighs. "Let's just not talk about it any more. I want to go to sleep."

"You do not get to question my authority in front of my own children."

"They are my children too." She reminds him. He glares at her again and she sighs, standing up and walking closer to him. She takes his hand and places on top of her pregnant stomach. "Your son wants us to stop fighting."

"Nice try." He says hatefully but he doesn't move his hand from the baby.

She leans up and kisses his cheek. "Let's go to sleep and talk about this in the morning if you still feel like it's important." He doesn't move and she almost wants to hit him. "Please, love, I'm so tired."

"I have a meeting in the morning."

"I know." She says softly, running her fingers through his black hair, trying to calm him down. "Maybe you can take Calpurnia with you..." He snaps her an angry look and she kisses him again, relaxing her body against his. "You two have been fighting a lot lately. I think you need to spend more time with her."

"She's spoiled, that's her problem." He says, stepping away from her and taking off his shirt for bed.

Isabel snorts. "That's your fault." She answers honestly. "Tom," she says seriously as she sits back down on the bed and watches him get into his night clothes. "You're still her favorite person, and she's so much like you that sometimes it's just like… clash of the Titan's you know?"

"No, I don't know." He snaps as he brushes his teeth in the bathroom. The sink turns on and off as Isabel burrows under the covers. "She's stubborn, she doesn't listen to anyone, and she thinks she owns this whole entire place. The only person she's nice to is you and that's only because you do whatever she says. She needs a good beating."

"Oh, don't say that." She says with a smile. Knowing Tom would never lay a hand on her no matter what he said. "And what you just said about her reminds me an awful lot like someone else I know."

"Don't compare me to that little pampered princess." He sneers with disdain. "She has no respect for anyone. Why can't she be more like her sister? Madelyn is always so sweet and agreeable. Even Castor has his nice moments where he just sleeps."

"That's because Madelyn is three and not a five year old girl who was the only child of the Dark Lord for two years." He looks at her like he doesn't understand and he sits on the edge of the bed. She sits up behind him and wraps her arms around his torso. "It's not easy for her." she says against his ear. "You're always so stressed out about everything now, and she has to share all of her stuff with her little sister who doesn't know how to play right because she's too young to understand a lot of things. She's not allowed to touch Castor with out being scolded for it and he drools all over her." She kisses his neck and feels him relax into her chest. "Plus we have another baby on the way and she probably thinks that will take more time away from her. She's just like you, honey. She needs a lot of attention" She says taming down the hair by his neck and ear with her fingers. "and she loves being around you."

He snorts. "Except when you're around it seems." He says almost bitterly

"Little girls love their father's, Tom." Is all she says, before lying back down against the pillows. He turns towards her and watches her with his hand on her stomach. "That's never going to change."

"Maybe I will take her with me." He says, watching his wife with darkened eyes.

"No killing." She warns in a serious voice that he laughs at.

"I promise." He leans down to kiss and she kisses him back.

She scoots over so he can get to his side of the bed and sighs contently when his arms wrap around her.

X

"Do not talk to anyone." He tells her as he holds her hand and walks her down the hallway. "I don't even want you to make a noise. Just sit there and listen. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Father." She says with a smile. Excited that she's going to be hanging out with him for the day.

"If someone asks you a question you can politely answer but I don't want you talking to anyone for a long amount of time."

"Yes, Father." She repeats again as she nearly runs to keep up with his long strides. "What will Maddie do today?" she asks with a sly smile. Happy that she gets to be with her father while her sister has to stay home.

"She's going to help your mother and Castor decorate baby boy's room." He stops in front of a pair of double doors and looks down at her seriously. "No talking now." He says and she nods with a dimpled smile on her face.

His followers get up and bow at the waist when he enters the room. Most of them eye the little girl beside him in distaste. She straightens the bow in her hair and follows her father with her head held high as he leads them to his seat. He nods for her to take the seat beside him and the table comes up to her chin. She swings her knee socked legs as she stares around the table with large blue eyes.

"Ignore her." is all Tom says to start with before opening a folder and looking through his papers. "We need to discuss our tax plan today. Our treasury is low and I think we have to blame Malfoy's tax plan for that." He says sending a heated look to Lucius Malfoy who lowers his head and apologizes.

Calpurnia watches her father work with admiring eyes as he scolds and yells at the people in the room. She likes it when he yells at other people, not her mother. He sends her a look to make sure she's still behaving when another man stands up to propose his new plan and she smiles at him, looking very much like Isabel. When the man sits down Tom relaxes into his chair and brings his hands up to his chin in thought.

"Daddy," he looks down to his left at his daughter. "Why can't you just take all of those dirty muggles money?"

Everyone laughs and he smirks. "Don't let your mother hear you talk like that." He says. "But it doesn't work that way."

"I didn't know it was bring your kid to work day." A younger death eater mumbles to the person beside him.

Tom snaps his head up and glares. "Who just said that?" everyone points the young man in the back of the room and Tom stands up. "Do you have a problem with the way things are run here?" he asks dangerously.

The young man shakes his head and loosens his collar. Feeling hot and sick now that he's on the spot. "No, My Lord."

"It sounds like you do." Tom says. Calpurnia falls back into her seat and covers her smirk with her hand. Octavian catches her eye and winks at her. "Do you think you could do better?" the man shakes his head. "Are you sure? It sounds like you think you know better then I do. That's treason… isn't it?" he looks around and everyone shakes there head. Even his daughter.

"I'm sorry, My Lord. I wasn't thinking."

"No, you weren't." he looks him up and down. "Who the hell are you anyways? Get out of this room." He says angrily and the young man picks up his brief case and runs through the door.

When he sits back down he feels a tug on his shirt and he looks down to Calpurnia again. "You can use your wand." She says with a glint in her blue eyes. "I won't tell Mommy."

He smirks at her serious little face. He does like her immensely.

X

"Maddie, don't paint your brother."

"But he bit me." The little girl says with a hand on her small hip while the other grips a paint brush.

Castor looks up at Isabel with a red streak down his face and he smiles at her. "He doesn't know any better." She says softly, bending down and using her shirt to clean off her son. "He didn't mean to."

"He did too." She says, still upset as she shows her Mother the red spot on her arm. "He know!"

"He's teething, honey. He's going to chew on anything insight." She takes the paint brush away from her and Madelyn frowns and stomps her foot. "If you weren't in his face all the time he wouldn't do that to you."

"You always be on his side." Madelyn says, pushing curls out of her eyes.

"He's younger then you." She snaps. Tired and annoyed already. This is Tom's fault. He's the one that kept knocking her up. "He doesn't understand and you do. I want you to say you're sorry and give him a hug."

Madelyn hesitates a moment before biting out a quick sorry and giving her little brother an awkward hug and kiss on the cheek. He coos and grabs one of her curls, pulling it hard in his sticky fingers. Madelyn tries to get away and cries loudly when he won't let go. Isabel rolls her eyes before kneeling down and removing Castor's fingers from his sister's hair. Madelyn walks to the other side of the room and sticks her tongue out at him.

Isabel covers her eyes and sighs loudly before looking around the half decorated nursery. They're painting it red this time. A very dark red that Tom picked out because he said it reminded him of one of his pet snakes eyes when he was little. Isabel thinks it's like blood. A noise brings her out of her thoughts and she looks down and widens her eyes.

"Castor! You can not put that in your mouth." She says, running over to him and taking the crayon away from him. She looks up to see where he got the crayon from and sees Madelyn drawing on the already painted wall. "Madelyn Riddle! Do not do that, this room is for your brother!" she runs over to and takes the writing utensil from her hand. "We are taking a nap." She says and the little girl starts crying.

She grabs her hand and picks up the baby on the floor, ignoring the pain in her back and stomping towards their bed rooms. Madelyn twists her body and falls to the ground crying and saying she doesn't want to take a nap. Castor looks down at his sister and his bottom lip starts to tremble and he too starts to cry. Isabel inhales deeply and nearly screeches for a house-elf.

"My Lady." The little elf bows.

Isabel glares at the little creature. "When is Tom coming back from his meeting?" she yells over the crying children.

"He is back now, Ma'am." The elf says. "He's be in the library with the little Missus."

She nods her head and tries to grab Madelyn's hand again. "We're going to go see Daddy." She says sharply as the little girl tries to pull back again.

She wipes her eyes and suddenly becomes all sweet and innocent. "Daddy is home?"

"Yes, now lets go." She says pulling her up and stomping all the way to the library. Castor sniffles by her ear and she can feel his tears soak into her shirt. She feels guilty for getting so angry with them. "You don't have to cry." She tells him, kissing his ear. "You are going to be with your father while Mommy takes a nap."

When she reaches the library door Maddie throws it open. "Daddy!" she yells happily, running over and jumping on his lap. Calpurnia rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, upset that her alone time is over. "We not know where you were." She says seriously.

Tom kisses her cheek and rubs her back. "You found me."

He looks up as Isabel stomps in front of him and immediately knows he's in some kind of trouble. "What now?" he almost whines at the glare on her face.

"I am tired and I want to take a nap." She says flatly, setting their one year old son beside his father. "My back hurts and if all of this stress makes me have this baby too soon I will kill you." She says, placing a hand over her pregnant stomach. "I am going to go lie down for a while and I don't want to hear any noises from anyone." She says before storming out of the room.

Tom snorts and turns down to his children who are all three watching him with bright blue eyes. "Well… It look likes we're going to go visit Uncle Octavian, doesn't it?" he says and the girls smile at him. He looks down at his son and raises an eye brow. Caster copies his gesture.

"I see you agree too."

X

"Tom, stop touching me." A kiss on her shoulder makes her groan unhappily. "Go away."

"But you feel so nice." He says with a smirk against her skin. He places her hands on her leg and works his way up her skirt.

"Stop it." She hisses angrily, trying to throw his hand off of her. "You are the reason I'm so tired. If you would just stop touching me every once in a while I wouldn't be pregnant all the time. It's getting ridiculous." A thought strikes her and her eyes narrow dangerously. She turns around and glares at him. "Where are the kids?"

"Don't worry they're fine." He says dipping in to kiss her.

She pushes him back and angrily gets off of the bed. She foots into her shoes and sends him an annoyed look. "You can't keep on leaving them with Octavian. He is nearly ninety years old!"

"So are we." he says with a smirk playing on his cool lips.

She scowls at him and stomps out of the room. Almost wanting to cry because she's so tired. "Thanks a lot, Tom." She says sarcastically.

Moments before she reaches the stairs a familiar embrace freezes her from behind. "Don't walk away from me, kitten." He says as he kisses her neck.

"I have to go and save our children from a man who barely remembers who he is half the time."

"Now you're being cruel." He smirks against her shoulder. "You know that's not true."

"Get off!" she yells this time, trying to get out of his embrace only to have him pull her back tighter. "Leave me alone."

"No."

She stomps her foot and makes annoyed sound. " Fine." She says angrily. He loosens his grip with a smirk and she stomps over to one of the couches along the hallway wall. She puts her knees of the cushions and her hands on the back of the chair. She faces the wall in the best position to support her pregnant stomach. She looks over her shoulder and glares. "Hurry up."

He loosens his tie and laughs as he walks over to her. "You are so romantic. When did that happen?" he jokes sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Tom."

He makes it to her and puts the hair over her shoulder so he can kiss the back of her neck. He lifts his wand to block out the hallway from other people as he drops to his knees on the cushions behind her so that his chest is pressed into her back. He brings his hands and pushes up her skirt to her waist as he kisses the side of her face.

"Spread your legs a little more, love." He says and she sighs before doing what he wants.

She tilts her body at a better angle him more access. "Because I'm doing this I reserve the right to talk over you at council tonight." He snorts into her neck. "I don't want you yelling at me for disagreeing with you."

"You always disagree with me." He says as he brings down her knickers to her knees.

"And you always yell at me."

"Good point." He says as he reaches around her to touch her and she rocks back against her fingers. "See," he says with a slight smile as he plays with her. "You complain and you complain but you want me just as much as I want you." He says, bringing up his fingers to show her how wet she is.

She rolls her eyes. "You are so annoying." She says and he laughs as he unbuckles his pants. "Will you get going?"

He slides into her easily and cups her breast. She sighs at the sensation and lets her head fall back against his shoulder. "Whatever you want, my needy little one."

"Stop talking." She says breathlessly as he starts moving faster. She grips the ledge of the couch and lets her head fall down. "Just don't talk for a while."

He laughs into her neck and keeps going until they are both sated. Once finished he sits beside her to catch his breath while she stands up and straightens out her clothes. She lets her knickers fall to the ground and she hands them to him. He smirks and puts them in his pocket.

"It's your fault they're wet." She says before walking away from him. He smiles as he watches her.

"Where are you going?" he calls after her as he sits up straight on the couch.

She ignores him and keeps walking.

X

"Personally I think that is a terrible idea." She says, watching him closely as he grips his chair and the others whisper among themselves. "Muggles out number us. We can't put them in work camps."

"Well, my darling _pregnant_ wife." He says, emphasizing the word pregnant to discredit her some how. "I don't care what you think on this matter."

She crosses her arms and glares at him from across the table. "This is wrong." She says solidly. "They will overpower the guards and overtake the camps. Eventually killing everyone here and their children. Do you want that?" she snaps.

"That won't happen." He says and rolls his eyes. The others laugh. "We have magic."

"And they have numbers."

"That won't matter."

"You said that about the controlled neighborhoods with the muggle borns and look what happened with that. I was right."

"That was a fluke." He says waving a dismissive hand. She narrows her eyes as he turns back to everyone. "As I was saying before, I think we need to start to start our periodic cleansing of the muggle population."

"You mean genocide." Isabel says hatefully.

Tom makes an irritated face. "Call it what you will."

"Genocide." She repeats again more solidly.

He almost yells at her. He almost stands up and yells at her but he remembered what they talked about earlier in the hallway so he takes a deep breath and clenches his jaw. He puts his hand in his pockets and feels her silky knickers against his fingers. "Anyways…" he says slowly. Trying to dismiss her. "What I was saying…"

"What you were saying was something that shouldn't be done." She snaps and sits back in her chair with her hand over her stomach.

"Stop testing me." He says softly, glaring at her again. "As I was saying," he says loudly, addressing the others again. "We need to start--"

"This is a terrible idea." She says again, cutting him off.

He stands up bangs his fist against the table. Everyone jumps but Isabel. A fake smile comes to his face as he looks at her. "I don't think you're feeling well. The baby must be acting up." He says in a false light voice.

"The baby is fine." She says sharply.

"I think you should leave the room. You are obviously having some kind of hormonal attack."

"I think you should stop talking and listen to me."

Again he almost yells at her but someone beats him to it. "My Lord," Tom turns his head towards a younger Death Eater, just introduced to the council two weeks ago. "I agree with you. My wife is pregnant now and says all kinds of stupid things."

"Are you saying my wife is stupid?" he says dangerously. Turning his anger on someone else.

"Well, no, um, I mean, what?" the boy finishes lamely and the others flick nervous glances at each other.

"Are you calling _my_ wife stupid because she is carrying _my_ son?"

There's a pregnant pause and Isabel breaks the silence. She's still glaring at her husband. "I think he's just agreeing with whatever point you were trying to make to me." She says hatefully.

"You don't know what you're talking about." He says not even looking at her as he grips his wand and the young Death Eater gulps. "Apologize." He says to the man.

"I'm sorry." He says softly.

"You don't have to apologize." Isabel snaps. "You are just following example." She refuses to let this go and Tom's eye tint red as he looks back to her. "I'm voting against this." She says and sits back into her chair again.

The council was her idea and so was the voting. Tom takes it into consideration sometimes but no one ever votes against him but her. It's almost pointless unless Isabel can seduce him into agreeing with her.

"Fine." He snaps. Trying to calm down as he sits. "What would you propose to do instead?" he says almost mockingly.

"Well, give money and tax benefits to pure and halfbloods who have more then two children. We have to widen our base before we do anything drastic. We may have wands but the muggles have bombs and manpower."

"We'll vote then." He snaps.

Of course Tom wins. Fourteen to one. Isabel glares at everyone at the table before standing up and walking out of the room. Tom follows her with quick steps.

"I didn't yell at you." He points out when his strides fall into step beside hers.

"But you didn't support me either."

"Because you were wrong."

"I was not."

"Yes."

"No."

They stare at each other for a few moments before Tom relaxes and checks his watch. "I'll get the girls." He says before kissing her cheek. Her anger melts a little.

"Castor should be waking up from his nap now." She says with a sigh. "I'll go get him. We'll see you in the dining room." She tells him, letting him kiss her again before they walk opposite ways to collect their children for dinner.


	22. Chapter 22

"What happens when the kids grow up?"

Tom looks down at his papers and pretends to ignore her. "Go do something else." He says, annoyed that she's still talking to him.

"I'm still stuck in this body." She says looking down at her seventeen year old frame and then back up at him. "What happens when the kids get older? Are they going to look older then me or what's going to happen?"

He sighs and finally looks up at her. "Do you know what's in that necklace you wear?" He says pointing a finger to the locket around her neck. She shakes her head. "It's a part of me. It's what keeps you young and unblemished. When the children reach a matured age they can make that decision for themselves."

"You'll give them a choice?" He nods his head. She fingers the silver locket. "So what part of you is in this?"

"My soul." He says flatly, turning away from her again.

"How is that?" she asks, totally confused. "And would they get a part of your soul if they decide they want to be like us?"

"Stop asking me questions." He snaps. "Shouldn't you be doing something?"

She frowns at him and puts her hand over her pregnant stomach. "Everyone's asleep and you aren't coming to bed anytime soon…" she cuts herself off when she realizes she doesn't need to explain herself to him. "How is your soul in this?" she asks as she walks towards his desk and sits down on the smooth wood.

He scowls. "It's complicated magic that you wouldn't understand."

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid." She says with narrowed eyes.

"I don't even want to talk to you at all right now. So leave."

She stands up and glares at him. "You're a jerk." She says before stomping out of the room.

Tom sighs again and focuses on his paper. He doesn't want to explain that whole complicated thing to her right now. He has things he has to do. He makes a few notes on an empty sheet of paper and prepares for another round of mindless paper work as a tiny knock on his door makes him even more annoyed then he was earlier.

"Leave me alone." He says sternly to whoever knocked. He nearly hexes someone as the door slowly opens. "I said to leave me alone." He says harshly as he stands up, prepared to slam the door on whoever is disturbing him but when he sees a little head of curly black hair he relaxes. "Go back to bed, Madelyn."

"I'm not tired." The little girl states. Rubbing her eyes and yawning as she walks into the room, past Tom. He clenches his fists as she settles down on his desk chair. "You're not in bed." She points out.

He picks her up and places her back on her feet with her body facing the door. "Go to bed." He repeats again, giving her a little pat on her bottom.

She turns around and stomps her foot. "I'm not tired! I want to stay with you."

"Go find your Mother."

"She in bed!"

"You should be in bed too!"

"I not want to go to bed!"

"You're supposed to be the good one!" Tom yells throwing his hands up in the air and then rubbing his face. "Madelyn, it is late and you should be asleep. I'm going to count to three and if you're not in your room then you're going to be in trouble. One… two…"

Madelyn doesn't move but her face turns red and she starts to sob. Tears roll down her cheeks as her little hands ball into fists at her sides. "I'm not going!" she screeches through her sobs.

He tries not to look at her pitiful display. "Stop crying."

"I want to stay with you! I want to stay with Daddy!" She stomps her foot repeatedly. She was supposed to be the sweet one. Tom groans and flinches when she yells again. "I want Daddy!"

He looks at her for a few moments, taking in her purple footed pajamas and her messy black hair. Something with in him melts. "Fine." He breaks. Picking her up and holding her against his chest. She sniffles against his neck as she lays her head on his shoulder. "You can stay with me for a little bit, but you have to go to bed when I say so. Okay?"

"Okay." She whispers by his ear.

He sits back down on his desk chair with Madelyn on his lap as he goes through more papers and more letters. After a few minutes the little girl's breathing becomes heavier and her body slumps. She's asleep and Tom rolls his eyes before standing up with the sleeping toddler in his arms.

With heavy steps he makes his way upstairs to his daughter's bedroom. Calpurnia is not in her bed and his over protective instincts automatically kick in and his eyes narrow as he walks, with the toddler still in his arms, to Castor's nursery. He's not in his crib either. His wand hand twitches as he clenches his jaw. He swiftly walks to the main bedroom, trying not to wake the little girl in his arms. He forcefully opens the door to find his wife and his two missing children totally asleep on his large bed.

The irritation that would normally be there is washed out by a sense of relief. He lays Madelyn beside her sister while he changes into his night clothes. He takes a moment to look at his large family on his bed, the family that he created, before crawling onto the opposite side of the bed and resting his head on his comfortable pillow. For as cold and hateful as he can be he does like it when they all sleep in the same bed. At least he knows where they are at all times.

Something has been troubling him recently. It's just a feeling really but he can't seem to shake his paranoid thoughts that he keeps on having. There have been more bombings recently at the ministry and the homes of his important followers. There will be another uprising soon. That's really the reason why he wants to open the camps now. The resistance is still alive and fighting by a thin thread but now more muggles seem to be involved, fighting along with them. A tiny cough makes him turn his head to look at the people closest to him.

Isabel is on the other side of the bed with Castor spooned in her arms, her pregnant stomach sticking out from her silk night gown. Calpurnia is sleeping beside them on her back with one hand under her pillow and her legs spread out, taking up most of the bed. She takes up more room then three people would. He props head up with his hand under his head as Madelyn snuggles in close to his chest. His enemies wouldn't hesitate to hurt them just to hurt him. They think he's the main source of all evil in the magical world so they probably think they'd be doing the world a favor if they killed his children, his spawn, his creation. It's really a frightening thought.

He hates most that it's a weakness.

They seem to think they have the moral highroad on their side but they don't take into account that the Death Eaters, the people who believe in the pureblood doctrine, and even the Dark Lord himself have a loved family. People they would miss if they were gone. It's a double standard that can find no middle ground.

Castor is in the most danger right now because he's the boy and the resistance probably thinks that makes him more important in the eyes of his father. Just as Tom thinks that Isabel cracks her eyes open and glares at him through strands of red hair. She's still angry with him for being such a bastard to her earlier. He smirks at her, unable to do much else and not wanting to wake the kids or have her catch on to his distressing thoughts.

That makes her glare harder and then she snaps her eyes shut to ignore him. Tom falls into a fitful sleep with terrible dreams dancing in his mind.

X

"Would you like to tell us your secret?" One reporter asks with a charming smile as she holds a microphone right up to Isabel's face. "How to you stay looking so young and pulled together with such a busy lifestyle. Our women readers would really like to know."

She hates reporters and they seem to be all over the place now. Isabel ducks her head to avoid the flashing cameras and quickens her steps with the stroller wobbling along the cobble stone street. The body guards do most of the work by pushing the annoying press people away but a few of them manage to break through.

"What are you out for today, My Lady?" Some annoying man asks with a balding head and cigar hanging from his mouth. "Family outing, eh? Where's the Great Lord?"

You would think they would be wise enough not to mess with the woman who is married to the Dark Lord. "Leave me alone." She says harshly, almost positive that her negative attitude will be written about tomorrow morning. "Just go bother someone else."

She understands now why Tom locked her away in that stupid castle. It's like a crazy jungle out here. The past few years have given her some kind of freedom though and she does like to take advantage of it. She pushes through another throng of people as she makes her way down the street, thankful that the girls are with Tom today or she might have lost them in this mess. She looks over the head of the stroller to make sure Castor is still alright. He has his thumb in his mouth and a toy snake in his arms as he sleeps away against the comfortable pillows of his seat. That boy can sleep through anything.

She finally reaches her destination and when she enters the small shop she slumps against the door and sighs in relief. She isn't the poised noble looking woman that people want to make her out to be. In reality she's just a young woman who doesn't know what she's doing half the time.

"Is the new baby a boy or girl?" She groans and turns her head to the reporter standing in front of her. He's tall with slicked back brown hair and dark brown eyes. He doesn't seem as eager or erratic as the others. How did he get in here? Reporters aren't allowed in this store.

"Excuse me." She says, walking past him with Castor rolling in front of her. The sales girls all fawn over her to try to help but she shoos them away too. She just wants to shop by herself. She is so very rarely allowed outside of the house that she would like to enjoy it when she actually is.

The man is by her side in a second. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"That's none of your business." She says sharply. It's not her job to be nice to every crazy person who talks to her.

She makes a sharp turn and tries to lose him behind a rack of dress robes. She can still feel his eyes on her as she sorts through the baby clothes. She flicks a glance to her body guards at the door to make sure they're still there. They are and she knows that nothing bad will happen with them on watch. She finds a cute little green outfit that she picks up and runs her fingers over the smooth material. Castor is waking up from his nap and cool blue eyes glare up at her from his stroller.

"What do you think, honey?" She says softly. She kneels down in front of him and holds the outfit up to him. "Do you think it will look good for Daddy's birthday?"

"Da." He says, reaching out towards the outfit, dropping the snake on the floor. "Dada."

"That's right… for Daddy." She says with a warm smile. The slick looking man steps up to her again and her body tenses. "I think we found what we need." She says to the little boy.

Without looking at the stranger she takes the out fit and starts to steer the stroller away. "You dropped this." The man says, she looks over her shoulder and sees him holding the stuffed snake in his long fingered hands.

"Thank you." She says tightly. Grabbing the stupid snake away from him. She really doesn't like to threaten people with Tom but sometimes she can't help it. "Good bye." She says, hoping he takes the hint and leaves her alone.

She walks up to the sales desk to pay for her purchase but before she makes it there the man grabs her arm. She turns around to yell but the man throws something on the ground, causing the room to be engulfed in a cloud of smoke. Isabel tries to say something but her voice is weak and she tries to get a hold of Castor but her muscles go slack. She passes out and lands in the slick mans arms as he takes the sleeping one year old from his stroller seat and apparates them away.

X

"What do you want for your birthday, Father?" Calpurnia asks as she colors on a blank sheet of paper. She calls him that because she knows he likes it better then 'daddy' but it comes out sounding more like 'foder' then father.

"He want a day of silent." Madelyn cuts in as she pushes her crayons all over the floor. Tom snorts at her reply and the truthfulness behind her words. He is constantly telling them to be quiet.

Calpurnia rolls her eyes at her sister and then turns back to Tom. "What do you really want?"

He doesn't remove his eyes from the paper he's reading. "Whatever you want to give me I'm sure will be sufficient."

"The new Lucy Lovely doll?" She says sweetly. Tom looks over to her as she smiles an innocent smile at him. She's been wanting that stupid toy for three months. How clever of her. "I could watch her for you, you know."

"No dolls." He says solidly, smirking at her attempt to be sly.

"When are Mommy and Castor going to be home?" the three year old asks as she collects all the crayons she spilled and places them in a pile. "I miss them."

"They should be back any time now." He says flicking a glance down at his watch. "Keep drawing."

Ten minutes roll by and Calpurnia becomes restless with coloring. She exhales noisily and taps her feet against the cold wood floor.

"What is it?" Tom snaps, annoyed by all the noises she's making.

"Why did you let Mommy out today?" she asks curiously, as she watches him with a furrowed brow. "You never let her out."

"She asked nicely." Is all he's willing to say. He won't tell her that he felt guilty over being mean to her last night so he gave in and let her go somewhere by herself…. Well, with people to watch over her, but still by herself meaning with out him.

Calpurnia slides out of her seat and walks over to her father with light steps. She stops by the arm of his chair and he lifts an eyebrow at her. "What do you want?" he asks sharply.

"Why do you always say no when Mommy asks you a question?"

"I don't always say no." She looks at him with blank eyes and he folds his paper and sets in on the table. "I told her yes today."

"I know." She says, chewing her lower lip, a habit she picked up from her Mother. "But most of the other times you say no."

"Because your mom usually asks me stupid questions that need to be said no to."

"She always tells you yes." She points out, like he was being unfair.

"Because I'm always right and I'm her husband."

"So I should always say yes to my husband?"

"Yes… wait… no you don't always say yes. What do you mean husband? You aren't even six yet." He says, becoming flustered. Only his children can do this to him.

"But I will be married one day." She says looking at him with wide eyes. "And will my man always be right?"

"I don't want to talk about his anymore." He says harshly. "Go play."

She pouts at him but when he doesn't give in she huffs and stomps back towards her sister to play. Ten minutes late turn to half an hour late and Tom suddenly becomes nervous. The wizards with Isabel and Castor aren't returning his call and his wand is starting to burn. Something has happened. The charms on her wedding band could tell him that much.

He stands up and grips his wand as two of his followers come stomping into the room. "My Lord!" they say urgently as they fall to their knees in front of him.

Calpurnia and Madelyn watch the display from behind their father's legs. "What is it?" he asks, having a feeling in his gut on exactly what's wrong.

"It's your wife and son… they're missing."

X

"There's a potion to induce labor…"

"…She's almost eight months along. We could cut it out of her…."

"It's another boy. The doctor said so. If we have both his sons…"

Isabel hopes that's she's dreaming as these words float in and out of her mind. She reluctantly cracks her eyes open and is met with total darkness. Light creeps in from the door on the other side of the room. The floor she's lying on is cold and wooden. She must be in a regular room in a house. Groggily she stands up and panic seizes when she her eyes adjust to the darkness and realizes that Castor is not in here with her.

"We can't kill them just yet… let him know what we want… should work…" disembodied voices float towards her.

She starts to run towards the door where the light and voices are coming from but she's jerked back when she makes it half way across the room and she fall to her knees, catching herself with her hands from landing on her stomach. She looks behind her and starts to cry when she sees the chain that's attached her ankle. She can't get out of it. She tries a million different ways and angles to release herself but nothing works against the strong metal. She hears a soft cry coming from the door way and she starts yelling.

"Where is my son!" she yells as she hears him cry. She stands up and starts pounding on the walls and stomping her feet. "Bring me my son!" He must be so afraid right now. Who is doing this?

Pregnancy easily makes her tired and the tears she crying doesn't help, she falls to the floor in fear and panic as the door slowly creaks open.

"Where is my son?" she asks again as a tall shadow steps into the room. The light travels in more making Isabel squint as she looks up at the bulky woman with her hair in a tight bun.

"He's fine for now." The hard woman says, looking her up and down. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Because of who I'm married to." She states. Knowing full well this is all Tom's fault some how. The woman keeps on staring at her with beady eyes. She realizes she must look pathetic so she stands up. "He's only a year old. You have to let me see him."

"You don't get to ask anything here." She says. She makes a movement with her hand and a skinny looking boy plops down a bowl of some dog food looking stuff. "You should eat up, you don't know when your next meal will be."

"Don't do this." Isabel finally brings herself to whine. "Look, I've known the Weasley's and other people who work in the resistance. I've been trying to make things better." She says, thinking she's dealing with the Order or some other rebels like that.

The woman sneers at her. "We don't care if your friends with dirty blood traitors or mudbloods." She says hatefully and Isabel realizes she has totally misjudged the situation. "We're real purists. We refuse to follow some filthy half blood like your husband."

Isabel gulps. "You're going to regret this." She says softly. For once hoping that Tom lives up to his reputation as being cruel and merciless with these people when he finds them.

"Not before you do I assure you."

That's all she says before leaving the room and slamming the door. Isabel sits on the floor again and kicks the bowl of slop away from her. The rest of the night she's taunted with the sad cries of her son who seems to be in the room right next to hers. She places a hand over her stomach, feeling her new son kick as she stares at the light creaking in from under the door.


	23. Chapter 23

She couldn't bring herself to fall asleep. The floor was too hard, the room was too cold, and her mind was in a constant state of unrest. Castor would cry, cough, and gurgle throughout the night making her go crazy. She didn't know what was happening to him or who he was with. Maybe he was by himself in a room just like she was. The worse part was when he was silent. When she couldn't hear him terrible imagines would float to the surface of her brain to torment her.

The sun has risen. She knows this because of the one secular window on the other side of the room. She can't reach it but she can see the overcast sky, showing she's somewhere on an upper floor and she can see tree branches, meaning she's somewhere remote… Her stomach growls loudly and she looks at the slop splattered on the ground. It's not only her that's starving right now, it's the baby inside of her too, but she refuses to eat whatever that stuff in the metal bowl is.

Feeling completely happy that she managed to wear warm clothes out before they grabbed her and locked her here, she crosses her arms to hold in warmth. Her sharp eyes take in the room trying to find a way to get out but the chain around her ankle and the wall that it's attached to make it virtually impossible to leave. A thump is heard from the room beside her and Castor screeches like he's in pain.

Panicked she stands up and runs over to the wall where the noise is coming from. There's a vent along the ground and she gets down on her knees to open it. Her fingers barely reach but she stretches out her body as far as it will go and manages to turn the little handle. When the vent opens she can see clearly into the other room through the little window in the adjoining vent.

Castor's red socked feet are seen off to the left as he cries harder, making it difficult to think clearly. She tilts her head to look at him. He's sitting down with his little hands bunched into fists as tears roll down his face. He's been trying to walk recently… he must have fallen. The room is bare, like hers is, and it doesn't seem like he's chained like she is so that is a plus. Beside him is a little bowl full of the same brown slop that they gave her.

"Castor." She whispers through the vent. He's sobbing so loudly that he doesn't hear. "Castor!"

He heard that one and he looks around the room for her voice. "Castor, come here." She taps on the metal vent. "Come here, sweetheart."

She keeps tapping on the vent until he finally catches on and begins crawling towards the noise. "Hey, baby, it's Mommy." She says softly as he sits in front of the vent and looks at her with cool blue eyes full of tears. He must look just like Tom when he was a baby.

His little fingers grip onto the vent as he looks at her with a furrowed brow, totally confused about what's going on. "Ma." He mumbles as he gets closer. "Mama."

She has an idea to remove the vents and pull him over to her but they're screwed on so that's a failed idea. "Why are you crying?" she asks him as she looks him over. He has throw up all over his shirt and he obviously needs to be changed. He'll probably get a rash. A new sense of rage goes through her at these people who are holding her here.

He makes an indistinguishable noise and Isabel can see tears clinging to his dark eyelashes. It breaks her heart. "It's going to be alright." She tells him, trying to sound soothing as he tries to take down the vent. Eventually he gives up trying and just sits there staring at her pitifully. "Your Father will be here soon." She says hopefully as he brings a hand up to wipe his nose, getting snot all over his face. "Don't cry." She tells him, even though she wants to cry herself.

To make him feel better she starts to sing a song, trying to make him laugh. "There once was a lady who swallowed a fly. I don't know she swallowed a fly… perhaps she'll die." He watches her looking all sad and lonely, she wants to hold him and tell him it's alright but since she can't she'll keep singing.

"There once was a lady who swallowed a spider that wiggled and giggled and tickled inside her." she brings her hands up and makes a tickling motion towards the vent and does a silly voice. He laughs. "Do you think that's funny?" she asks despite the situation. He smiles again and she returns it. "She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. I don't know why she swallowed a fly…."

"Perhaps she'll die." Isabel snaps her head towards the door way and the slick looking man that took her from the store. "I've always liked that one." He says, walking into the room. Isabel stands up and Castor whines in the other room because he can't see her anymore. "Did you have a good night? It doesn't look like you slept a wink."

"Let me see my son." She says solidly looking into the strangers dark eyes. "Please."

"Mama." Castor's voice filters through the vent. "Mama."

He looks her up and down for a few moments before waving his hand. A moment later a plump woman comes into the room with Castor in her arms. "Oh thank god." Isabel says as she takes the baby from the woman's arms. "It's okay now, sweetheart." She whispers against his hair as he relaxes into her arms.

"This is touching." The man says flatly. She looks back to him and watches him blankly.

"What do you want?" she asks, holding Castor's head against her shoulder.

"How do we kill Lord Voldemort?"

She snorts at the question and the man's eyes flash dangerously. "You can't kill him." she says. She actually has no idea…

"I think you know… you just don't want to tell us." He says, stepping closer to her. "He's a little messy, isn't he?" he says, switching tactics and looking down at the baby. He snaps his fingers and the plump woman is back with a fresh set of clothes, a wash cloth, and a clean diaper. She dumps the stuff on the ground and Isabel watches it suspiciously.

"Go ahead…" he says, nodding towards the pile. "You should clean him up before he has to go back in that room."

She takes off her jumper revealing the thin dark shirt she had on underneath while watching the slick man closely. She lays it on the ground and puts Castor down on his back and kneels over him. She washes off the vomit, snot and tears on his face with the damp wash cloth and then she changes him out of his soiled clothes and diaper. The little boy seems relieved to be rid of the filth that covered his body and when she goes to put him in the clean outfit she realizes it was the one she had picked out from the store. She looks up at the man as he lounges against the dirty wall with his arms crossed before putting it on him.

"I bet he feels better. You know, he looks a lot like our Great Dark Lord." He pushes off the wall when she stands up with the baby. "He must have strong genes in his family… strong disgusting muggle genes."

"He's a Blood Purist." She says. "He's a Purist just like you. Why are you doing this?"

"That half blood is no purist." He says dismissively. Like the darkest wizard in over a century was nothing to write home about. "He's a fraud and the real pure bloods won't stand for it any longer."

"How do I play into this?"

"You know…" he trails off ignoring her question totally as he walks around her, eyeing her up and down. "We did research on you. Isabel Prewett… born January 3rd, 1926. You look awfully good for your age, but then again, you are dead right? 1943 was when you were killed. Isn't that right?" He steps right in front of her. So close that she can smell his aftershave and the mint sent of his breath. "You look very much alive for a dead chick. What's your secret?"

She steps back from him and the chain around her ankle clinks against the wood floor. "I guess he did teach you something." He says reaching out and running his fingers down her jaw line. She flinches back. "He probably doesn't want me touching you, does he?" He closes in on her until she hits the wall. Her pregnant stomach keeps him at a distance and she holds Castor against her side as he shakes in her arms. His wild eyes rove all across her face. "No I don't suppose he does." His long fingers travel to her neck and skim across her collar bone. "Once we get this dirty little spawn out of your stomach I'm sure we could find something worthwhile for you to do with us. You are very attractive for a blood traitor."

He brings his hands up and runs his fingers across her lips. Totally disgusted with this man in front of her she opens her mouth and chomps down on his fingers. "You stupid bitch." he pulls back from her and slaps her across the face. She nearly drops Castor but luckily keeps a hold of him. He starts to cry again and begins shaking in her arms. "I'm going to make you regret that."

"You can't kill him." she hisses, looking him right in the eyes. "You can't kill him but he will kill you and I promise it will be painful."

"If we can't kill him," he sneers at her. "Then we'll dispose of important parts of him until he breaks." He says hatefully, glaring at the crying baby in her arms before leaving the room.

She cuddles Castor to her chest and kisses his face, trying to get him to calm down, and trying not to be afraid. A second later the door opens again and the broad shouldered woman with the beady eyes that spoke to her last night stomps into the room and tries to grab the baby from her.

"Get off." She says, turning her body around, trying to protect Castor. "I'm not giving him to you."

"You have greatly upset our leader." She says in a flat voice. That man was their leader? He's no Tom. "He was going to be nice and allow you to keep your spawn for the night but you have ruined that. Now hand him over."

"Absolutely not!"

Isabel hears the other woman rustle about her robes and then a jolt of heat hits her back and she drops to her knees. She tries to hold onto Castor as the curse takes effect but she can do nothing as she passes out against the floor.

X

"Do we know who did this?" Tom asks as he looks around at the faces of his inner circle. "If it was the Order resistance then they won't hurt them. We can get in there and take them back with out much problem."

"Do you know where they are, My Lord?" Lucius Malfoy asks, but keeps his distance. The look on the Dark Lords face right now is frightening.

"Yes." He says, those spells on her wedding ring were actually there for a reason. He knows where they are. He just doesn't know how to handle this. It took a lot of guts, and stupidity to do this. "Yes, I do."

"Then let's go." Someone says towards the back of the group. Tom looks at him and narrows his eyes. He's trying to think. He's trying to figure out what the best plan is.

"We don't want to make any rash decisions." He says. Isabel can't die but Castor can. He doesn't want to test that. "They have to want something…" he says to himself. He sits down heavily on his chair as his followers watch him closely. He brings his slender fingers up to his temples and tries to fight the headache that's disrupting his mind.

"Dad!" The door opens and Calpurnia runs in, holding a letter out in front of her. "Daddy, look!" Tom snaps his eyes to her. Her sleek hair trails behind her as her excited eyes flash. Madelyn is beside her looking all worried and sad with a stuffed bear in her arms. "An owl just dropped this off in our bedroom."

They were supposed to stay up there; they weren't supposed to come down. He glares at the two women who come running in after them. They were supposed to be watching them. Tom stands up and snatches the red envelope away from his daughter and taps it with his wand to make sure there are no spells or jinxes on it.

"Go back to your room." He tells them, turning his back and walking towards the fireplace so he can see it better.

"But Daddy…." She's calling him Daddy and not father. She must be afraid.

"Go back to your room. I won't say it again." He says, ignoring everyone else around him as he slowly opens the letter. Calpurnia and Madelyn refuse to move and they hold each others hand as the two witches who were watching them try to pull them back to their bedroom.

"Let us stay, Daddy." Calpurnia says pitifully. "We want to be by you."

Tom looks over his shoulder to see his two watery eyed daughters being dragged away from him before taking the smooth paper out and unfolding it.

_To our great and wonderful mudblood Dark Lord, _

The start of the letter makes Tom's eyes turn scarlet. He's already plotting murder as the letter continues.

_If you haven't already noticed we possess something of great value to you now. We were surprised to actually find an opportunity to have your beautiful wife and son in our midst, considering the poor things barely ever see day light due to your over protectiveness but we are extremely delighted to have them as our guests. _

_Your wife loves sleeping on our cold wooden floors and your son enjoys playing with the broken glass we left in his room. It's really quite charming the way he cries when he's hurt. He does look a lot like you… But we're getting off topic. You're probably wandering what we want… after all... why go to all this trouble for nothing, right? Well, for now we just want you to know that your reign will soon come to a close. _

_No longer will purebloods bow down to a disgusting fake like you, Tom Marvolo Riddle. You preach of pure blood supremacy but your very name represents everything we despise. You are nothing but a poser, pretending to be something you're not and we will not stand for it any longer. Keep in mind, for I'm sure that your legendary temper is causing you to scrunch up this letter and grip your wand, that you can probably find us easily and kill most of our people but in the time it takes you to get through our wards we could easily snap your son's neck. _

_So really, it would be your fault that he died. If you actually care about his life. It's been said you don't even have a heart. I guess we'll put that to the test, won't we?_

_It seems that your wife is on the same no aging, no dying, diet as you are and we are doing our best to get her to tell us how exactly it's done. No beating around the bush here, we want to kill you, but if your little lady behaves we may just keep her around. A few of the men here seem very fond of her. I'm sure you'd love that, wouldn't you? Before you make any rash decisions about coming and storming into our location remember that if your older son ends up dying then we can always take the second one that's still inside of her. We have a lot of long knives and scissors to help that along. I'm sure your wife won't scream too much._

_Everything that happens to them is decided by you in a way. When we want to talk to you, we'll talk to you. When we want to meet you, we'll meet you. When we want to kill you, we'll kill you. We suggest that you don't try to do anything stupid. Unless you want to bury two of your children… if you can find their bodies, that is._

_Well, I hope we didn't come off as too forward. We'll be writing back soon to keep in touch and to properly introduce ourselves to you, My Fake Lord. _

_Until we meet again, _

**The United Purist Party**

What the hell. Tom remains totally calm as he rereads the letter. Fury is rising up inside of him as his wand hand begins to shake. They just wrote to taunt him. That's what that was all about. They did make a good point though. If he did try to just storm in to get his family… they would have plenty of time to kill Castor if they wanted… and they seem to be able to do that with no guilt.

"What is the United Purist Party?" Tom asked, trying not to sound too insane. He won't let the others read this letter. This is personal.

Lestrange steps up and coughs before he answers. "They are a new political party that's starting to gain favor." He says uncomfortably. "They believe virtually the same things we do. Only, they don't think you're the one who should be leading our cause."

"Do any of you know any of the members?" A few Death Eaters raise their hands. "Good." I want a detailed list of all the members you know and any possible leaders… I want to know where they live and about their families." He looks around at his circle with fire in his veins. "Now!" he barks and they scramble to do what he says.

Once alone he sits back down on his chair and holds his head in his hands. It's easier when you have nothing to lose… but you have to be ultra careful when you have everything. The door creaks open after a few silent moments but he doesn't even look. He's trying to figure out the best way to do this. He's not dealing with the noble Order now, who wouldn't hurt a fly, especially not a baby or pregnant woman… no, now he's dealing with people just like himself, with no sympathy for anyone.

"Daddy?" A soft whisper brings him out of his thoughts. "Can we stay now?" Calpurnia asks as she peaks her head into the room. Her pale face is all blotchy and her eyes have fresh tears in them. She must have been crying the whole time. "Have you found Mommy and Castor yet?"

He holds out his hand to her. "Come here." She runs in, with the curly haired Madelyn behind her.

"My Lord, I'm so sorry!" The dark haired witch runs into the room looking all flustered and out of breath. "They tricked us. We thought they were still in the room. Please, forgive me."

"It's alright. You're dismissed." He says solidly and watches as the older witch leaves the room and closes the door. He looks back down to his two children who are looking all sad and pitiful. "You don't need to cry." He says softly. Picking Madelyn up and placing her on his lap. He does the same for Calpurnia and looks at both of them seriously as they wipe away tears. "There's nothing to be worried about." He lies, just because he thinks he should.

"Where are they?" Calpurnia asked with a frown on her face. "Why aren't they back yet? You said they would be back and then all these people had to come and talk about it and then that lady said that Mommy and Castor were probably dead."

"What lady said that?" he asks sharply as Madelyn lays her head against his shoulder and begins sucking on her thumb.

"That Bellatrix lady." She answers. Not surprising, Tom rolls his eyes.

"That's not true. They're fine and we will bring them home soon."

"Where be they?" the younger daughter asks as she takes out her thumb and looks up to him. "I miss them." she repeats and new tears start to fall from her face. "Are they lost?"

Tom has never felt more hopeless in his whole life. What is he suppose to say to them? He's not very good at comforting people, let alone sad little children. "We'll find them. Don't worry."

He rubs her back and kisses her head. "Don't worry." He repeats again because he doesn't know what else to say.

He looks down at Calpurnia as she studies him. She does look a lot like him but her face is so totally Isabel's that it's almost painful to look at. "Can we sleep in your bed tonight if they don't come home?"

He nods his head and leans back in his chair. Letting himself feel a little bit better that the two little girls are here with him and not missing as well. His mind fantasizes about all the different ways he's going to cause pain to these people who dared to do this to him.

X

"How do we kill the Dark Lord!?"

"I told you I don't know!" she yells back as she wipes away blood from her mouth. They can ask that question all they want but she will still give them the same answer. They even gave her truth serum last night and she still told them she didn't know. They assumed she was immune to Vertiserum and tried other methods.

"Fine," the slick man says. He has yet to say his name but she knows he has to be the main person in charge here. Everyone seems to listen to him. "Bring in the kid."

Isabel sits up from the position she was in and watches as Castor is brought in and handed to the tall brown eyed man. He looks clean and he's in a different outfit so that means someone is looking after him. He spots her and reaches out to her and whines when she can't get to him. Isabel is almost relieved to see it.

"I want to know how to kill Lord Voldemort." The man says with a craze to his voice. "If you don't tell us then I will kill your son." He brings his hand up and covers Castor's mouth. With his thumb and forefinger he pinches the baby's nose shut so he can't breath.

"Stop it!" Isabel yells panicked as the man suffocates her son. Castor tries to wiggle away but the man is too strong "Stop it. He doesn't have anything to do with this!" She tries to run and get him away from the man but the chain stops her and she begins cussing and crying as it cuts into her skin. "Let him go. You're hurting him!" The most horrifying thing she has ever seen is happening before her. She's watching her son die.

Castors little hands are flaying around as he tries to get away and breathe but the man keeps his airways cut off. He's starting to turn red. "Tell me and I'll let go." He says, staring at her with wild eyes as her baby fights for air.

"Fine! Fine I'll tell you. I'll tell you, just let him go!"

The slick man removes his hand and Castor takes deep breaths and cries so hard he throws up. Isabel reaches out her arms to take him but the man pulls him back.

"Ah, ah." He says lightly. "Tell me what I want to know or I will do that again."

"Alright, Alright, I'll tell you." She says weakly to stall time. She doesn't know how to kill Tom. She was being honest when she was saying that. "Alright… well… to kill him you have to… you have to make sure he doesn't have his wand."

The man snorts. "That doesn't help us."

"No!" she says as his hand goes back to Castor's mouth. "No," she says softly when he pulls his hand back to watch her. "It's important because if he has a wand close by then he can mend himself."

"Obviously." The man sneers.

She's trying to think quickly of something to say. "Okay, well when you take his wand away then you have to hit him with the killing curse."

"That doesn't kill him, you stupid bitch!" the man yells, throwing Castor, who's crying hard, to the person beside him. "Do you think I'm stupid? He's been hit with that fucking curse so many times and he's still alive."

"I don't think your stupid." She says softly, flicking her eyes to the skinny guy that's now holding her traumatized son. "The curse weakens him… and when he's weakened like that you have to stab him with a stake of silver." It was total and complete bull shit but it was the quickest thing she could come up with. She read it in a werewolf book once. Hopefully they won't notice.

"A stake of silver?" the man says, clearly disbelieving her. "You are lying."

"No, no I'm not." She says desperately. "The silver counteracts the spells and potions that he keeps on his body and it will kill him. I swear."

He watches her closely then. Looking her up and down to see if she's telling the truth. He turns to the plump woman to his left. "Give her the potion." He says. The woman walks over with a vile of dark green liquid and grabs on to Isabel's jaw. She tries to fight her off but two other men come and hold her in place as the dark liquid is poured down her throat. They let her go and she falls to the ground. "After you have the baby we'll put your theory to the test." He says as he leaves the room with the others following behind him.

She opens her eyes and sees that they left Castor in the room. She stands up on shaky legs and picks him up. He holds on to her tightly and his sobs die down.

"It's alright." She lies against his ear. She kisses his cheeks and runs her fingers through her hair. Holding him close, like she'll never be able to do it again. "We're going to be fine. Daddy will come." When he stops crying and sniffling against her she looks out of the far window. "He'll come." She says, hoping that that's the truth.

Suddenly a sharp pain hits her stomach. Then another and another until it's so intense that she has to put Castor down on the ground. He sits there and looks up at her as she tries to get her body under control. She knows what's happening now. That potion is making her have the baby now. Tears sting her eyes as her water breaks and runs down her legs. She's going to have to do this by her self. She wants to scream and cry but she knows that will just scare the one year old who is looking up at her totally confused.

Slowly she takes off her jumper and lays it on the ground by her shoes and then with shaky fingers she takes off the tights and knickers that were under her wool skirt and she lets them fall to the floor. She lays down, breathing heavily and trying to remember what happened the three previous times that she gave birth. Luckily those times she didn't have to control anything and all she had to do was lay back and push… but not this time.

"Here honey," she says, taking one of her black shoes and handing it to Castor. "Play with this." She says, trying to distract him. He is going to be so fucked up when he grows up.

Women have done this by themselves before and turned out alright. She tells her self as her body tells her to push. She closes her eyes and just tries to go with her instincts on this. As she pushes and the pain tears through her she swears to whatever is listening that she will kill these people herself when Tom gets here. She sits up on her elbows and tries to make as little noise as possible as Castor plays with her shoe, every once and a while he sends her nervous glances.

After a while that position isn't working for her any longer because she won't be able to catch the baby when it comes out. With more strength then she thought she possessed she stands up and gets into a squatting position and pushes and pushes with blind determination, for hours it seems, until she catches the small baby in her arms. She cuts the umbilical cord with a jagged piece of glass she found on the floor and doesn't even think about anything else. She just knows she has to get this done. She doesn't even feel pain right now, she just has a task she needs to complete. She doesn't have the luxury to be helpless and after everything is outside of her she starts to work again.

Quickly, ignoring every thing her body is protesting to she cleans the baby off with the white jumper and the pitcher of water that they brought her to drink from last night. She uses her fingers to dig out the mucus in his airways and eyes finally bundling him up with her discarded clothes to keep him warm. She rubs his body to get circulation going and when he turns pink she knows she must have done something right. He starts to cry witch relives her more then anything and when she looks at him she feels so incredibly proud of herself for doing that. With watery eyes she looks to Castor who's sitting not far off from her. Looking at her with wide eyes.

"Come here, Castor." She says with a hoarse voice. He hesitates a moment, losing trust in everything around him the longer they stay here. "Come here, sweetie." she says, reaching out and taking his arm. He crawls towards her and stands himself up holding on to her shoulder. "This is your brother." She says warmly. Looking down at the new little baby in her arms. "This is your baby brother."

Castor watches the little baby and then leans down and kisses him on the head. It was sweet of him to do and Isabel's heart breaks at the sight. Stuck in this filthy room with broken glass and no heat she feeds her newborn and tries to keep her sanity. Out side the room the slick looking man and his team are sharpening silver stakes.

X

Tom's eyes snap open as he lies in bed beside Calpurnia and Madelyn. They both are asleep but he knows he won't sleep until this whole thing is sorted out. He stands up and walks over to the window. Looking out at the night sky. He closes his eyes again and inhales deeply. A feeling is coursing through him… A feeling that tells him that Isabel just gave birth… she just had another one of his children. The baby is still alive. He can feel him. He can feel all of them.

Something must have triggered it, something must have happened because it's a month early. She was alone too, and scared. He hits his hand against his head and then quickly gets dressed. He leaves kisses on top of Calpurnia's and Madelyn's sleeping heads before storming out of the room with his wand gripped in his hands and a piece of paper clutched in the other.

He calls his whole entire army to him and makes a quick decision. If Isabel can protect their two children long enough for him to get inside then his plan will work. He can't sit and wait for another letter from the terrorists. He will get his family back. Quickly he divides his Death Eaters up in teams and hands them the list of names and families that follow this Purist Party bull shit.

"Find these people." He says heatedly. "Find them and kill every single person they're with. No exceptions."

They apparate away to fulfill his orders and he turns back to the remaining section of his army. He lifts his wand and they all follow him to an abandoned farm house out in the middle of no where. From where he's standing he can hear a new baby crying and he knows that it's his son.

"I want them alive." He announces. Wicked plans of revenge flowing through his mind. "I want everyone in this house brought out alive."

They all lift their wands and storm the house.


	24. Chapter 24

"Baby." Castor says, pointing to the little bundle in Isabel's arms. He only knows four words and baby is one of them. "Baby." He repeats again as he chews on his sleeve.

"Yes, baby." She confirms as she closes her eyes and rests her head against the wall. Her body is completely sore and she's so tired. It's hard to stay awake and not just pass out on the floor but two little boys are keeping her awake. "What should we name your brother, Castor?" She asks, just to stay awake.

He doesn't answer and he begins chewing on her shoe. Normally she would tell him to take that out of his mouth and that it was gross to do so, but she can't bring herself to say that now. He has to be hungry and she is positively starving. The pain between her legs is alarming and she can barely move with out wanting to cry. She would give anything to have a bed right now but her worry is over riding everything right now. The new baby needs to see a Medi-wizard. What if something is wrong? He needs immunization spells and all that other stuff that all babies need right away to stay healthy. She stifles a groan and holds the new baby closer to her chest.

The door opens but she doesn't even open her eyes. "I see the potion worked." A smug voice says and she cracks her eyes open to see the slick man standing in the door way with his arms crossed. He walks in and closes the door behind him. " We had bets going on how long it would take you to pop that kid out." He says, eyeing with distaste all the blood and birthing after effects on the ground. "I lost. I placed you at two hours."

"Why?" she manages to ask with a soar throat. Why did they do this to her? "He needs to see a doctor." She says, instead of waiting for an answer.

He walks closer to her and kneels down in front of her. "He'll be fine." He says dismissively. "After all he is the son of the 'Greatest Dark Wizard in the world'…is he not?" With a smirk he pulls back some of the material covering the new born's head. Isabel is too tired to even protest. "Ah, I see this one is a red head. Must get that from you." He says, flicking a glance up at her hair that clings to her forehead and neck from all the sweat.

"What do you want from me?"

"I think you know what." He says, giving her a creepy smile.

"How do you even know he's a halfblood?" she asks, the only way she guessed was because he told her that his last name was a dirty muggle name. "Where did all this come from? Aren't you fighting for the same thing?"

He stands up and looks down at her with a tilted head. "You know, Harry Potter and his league of idiots were actually on to something. Towards the end of the war they started handing out pamphlets talking about The Dark Lord and his parentage. Proving that his father was a muggle and he was liar." He walks away and looks out the window. "You know, at first I didn't even care. I mean, I didn't believe it obviously. I believed in the Dark Lord and what he stood for but just by chance I stumbled across the name Tom Riddle, everyone says that's what you call him… and then I did some research and the Order story checked out."

"So?" she says tiredly. Not really understanding why it matters as long as they're killing mudbloods or whatever it is they want to do.

"So?" he asks back as he turns around. "I won't take orders or listen to someone with dirty blood running through their veins. Who does he think he is?" He realizes he's sounded insane so he takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his slicked back hair. "We should be led by example, not by a lie."

She doesn't answer… she doesn't have anything to say to that so she just stares at him as he paces around the room. Castor drops the shoe and begins whining again because he's hungry. "What now?" She asks after a few moments of listening to him cry.

"Now?" he asks back like a crazy person. "Now we see if you were telling the truth." He sees the confusion on her face and he smiles again. "You said that if we stab him with a stake of silver then he dies… I find it rather ridiculous and forgive me if I don't believe you, but we will test your theory out. Just in case you were being truthful."

He snaps his fingers and a group of people come in. One of the men hands a pointed silver stake to him and two others take Castor and the baby from her tired arms. Her eyes become wide and frightened and she tries to stand but from all the trauma her body went through she can't and she falls again.

"We assume that you are under the same spells and potions that your husband is." He says with a tilt of his eyebrows. "So if you die after we stab you then we know you were telling the truth… if you live then we know you were lying and your son… well I guess it's plural now isn't it?" He laughs and so do the other people in the room. She glares. "Your _sons_ will die if you don't." He looks behind him at the two men holding her children. "Take them out of the room."

"Wait." She says, trying to stand up again on shaky legs. "Wait, don't take them." she says desperately as Castor cries and reaches for her and the new baby cries because of the noise.

"Do you want them to be in the room when I do this?" he asks cruelly. She looks down feeling totally hopeless. "I didn't think so."

The two men leave the room with her crying children in their arms and the broad woman with beady eyes grabs her and stands her up straight. She inhales deeply, waiting for the pain that's about to come.

"Now," he says conversationally as he walks right in front of her. "Where should I put this?" he asks. Tapping the silver stake against her arm. "You're heart? Or maybe just your stomach? Or… there are many other interesting places…."

This is going to hurt. She closes her eyes and tries to place her self somewhere else as the man teases her by playing the sharp point of the stake all over her skin. The point stops just above her heart and tears fall from her eyes. She knows this won't kill her. It will hurt like hell, but it won't kill her which means they'll kill her children. If she didn't fail as a parent before she definitely did now.

"Look at me." He says, his voice sounding dark. She opens her eyes and looks into his deep, almost black eyes as he brings back the stake to ram it into her chest.

A strange siren sound makes him pull back and Isabel finally releases a breath of air as he looks around the room.

"Someone just broke the wards." He says as he runs over to the window. The broad woman lets go of Isabel and she slumps to the ground, unable to hold herself up any longer.

"Perhaps it was just a raccoon again." A skinny man offers as he walks up behind him and looks over his shoulder. "This happened last week too and it was nothing."

"For some reason I have a feeling that is not the case." He spits out hatefully. He looks over his shoulder and glares at Isabel. "We're not finished here." He tells her. He hands the silver to someone beside him and takes out his wand. He walks up to her and glares down at her with as much hate as a person can posses. "Your husband just killed your two children. I hope you thank him for that." He turns to the skinny man. "Stay here and watch her. When I send the signal do the spells." He sneers at her again. "If we can't kill you then we'll send you back to him deformed." He says before leaving the room with his followers behind him.

A nervous, frightened flutter is in her stomach as she stares at the skinny man who's watching her nervously with twitchy eyes. Everything is so silent that's it's almost maddening. She watches the skinny boy as he clutches his wand in his sweaty palms. An over whelming sense of protectiveness is washing over her as she thinks of her two children.

"I'm sure if you remove this chain from my leg, I can convince my husband to give you a quick death." She says as the boy flinches at her voice. He'll probably pee his pants too.

Something makes her strong and she stands up on her shaky legs to look at him. In her hands she clutching the jagged piece of glass that she used to cut the umbilical cord earlier. "If you help me get out of this room… I'll tell him you were nice to me."

"Shut up." He says with a shaky voice. He points his wand at her. "Shut up. Stop talking." She walks closer to him and nervousness makes his shake. There are thumps heard outside and curses being shouted. "Stop moving. Stay where you are."

She looks behind her to see how much chain she has left to move and then she looks back at him. He's with in reaching distance. Suddenly she lunges at him and the piece of glass becomes lodged in his throat with a quick movement of her hand. It all happened so fast that he couldn't respond and she twists the glass in his throat a little deeper as he slumps to the ground and gurgles blood. Her hands are totally covered with his red blood and she glares at him before taking his wand and sending a spell to the chain around her ankle.

It breaks and she's free. A mild healing charm helps her to walk and she runs out of the room. Into the fight that's taking place in the down stairs hallway.

X

Tom works his way through the throng of people. With a slight flick of his wand people who are attempting to duel with him go flying back. When he enters the house he takes a moment to take in his surroundings with scarlet eyes. His sharp ears can hear faint crying coming from one of the upstairs rooms letting him know that his children are still alive. That's a good sign.

A bulky woman with beady eyes charges him and he almost laughs at the determined look on her face if the situation wasn't so serious. She has a silver stake in her hands as she runs towards him and he lifts an eyebrow before hitting her with a stunning spell and watching her fall to the ground, totally out cold. Curses fly past his head, lighting up the hallway with shades of greens, purples, and blues. Something catches his eyes at the top of the stairs and his gaze travel up the railing to the person standing there looking at him.

She's only wearing a thin shirt and the wool skirt that she was wearing the day she went missing. A sense of relief washes through him as she gives him a soft little smile that shows she's pleased, and more then relieved, to see him. His eyes flick quickly over her body. She has blood between her legs, all over her shirt, covering her hands, and splattered on her face. He narrows his eyes when he sees this but the look on her face reassures him that most of the blood isn't hers.

A loud cry from their son makes both of them refocus their gaze and she runs towards the noise without another glance at him. He starts to run up the stairs, to follow her, to help, but a curse flies past his face opening four cuts along his cheek. With scarlet eyes he turns around half way up the stairs and glares down at the man pointing the wand up at him.

Dark eyes stare up at him and with a sneer the slick man yells another curse. Tom easily reflects it as he slowly walks down the stairs, one step at a time as he looks the man up and down.

"Why, Marcus, I haven't seen you in ages." He says as he lifts his wand and sends the man who has been holding his family hostage into another room. He hits his back against the wall and breaks apart the plaster. "I should have known this was your doing." He says as he follows him into the room. "You never really did like me, did you?"

Marcus, the slick man, stands up quickly. Trying not to fumble or shake by this fight he finds himself in. "I told you not to do this." He says hatefully, trying to stall time. "I told you that your kids were dead if you did this but you don't care. You don't care about anything but yourself, you dirty halfblood!" Another weak curse gets deflected by Tom, it's almost too easy. Since Dumbledore died it's almost boring to duel other wizards… there's no challenge in it.

"You're Grandfather is going to be so disappointed in you." Tom says with a sneer as he sends a curse to Octavian Mulciber's grandson. "Maybe I should let him do the honor of getting rid of you, unless of course he doesn't die from the shame of having you in his family."

"He was the one who told me about you." He says hatefully. Trying and failing to curse him again. "He was the one who told me what your name was. Tom Riddle. Just like your muggle father."

"You are being so dramatic that it's pitiful." Tom says with a roll of his eyes.

"You're sons are dead now. I hope you're happy. You can kill me but your children are dead because of you."

Tom walks very close to him and snatches the wand away from his stunned hand. He was too scared to move. He gets so close that they're almost touching. Marcus is visibly shaking. "You had better hope your words are not true because I will make you live forever just so I can torture you every day of my life… and I will be around for a very, very long time. So for your sake I hope you're wrong."

He stuns him. The man thumps on the ground and Tom orders a few of his followers to carry him out of the house. He has big plans for him later. Most of the other people in the house are rounded up and Tom makes his way up the stairs with out much interruption. The first room that he looks in has a dead man with a piece of glass sticking out from his neck. A chain attached to the wall is thrown on the floor and blood is all over the floor. There are no more noises now and he's almost worried as he opens the second door and finds an empty bedroom with a closet full of clothes. He slams the door and goes to the third room.

When he opens it he nearly drops his wand. Three dead bodies lie off to the side of the room. He doesn't know the men that are lying there dead, but he doesn't spare them a second glance as he sees his wife down on her knees pointing her wand to Castor's chest. Tom steps into the room and looks on the bed. A small baby is sound asleep, still very much alive, and wrapped in a bloody sweater. He's relieved to see the baby breathing but Isabel's voice makes him look to her again.

"Come on, come on." She says with tears in her eyes as she bends down and breaths into Castor's mouth. She doesn't seem to see him in the room. She pulls back up again and starts pumping on his chest with her hands, having discarded her wand to the side.

"What are you doing?" he asks and she snaps her head up. He looks down at Castor who has his eyes closed and his lips are as pale as his skin.

"He's not breathing." She says pitifully. "Tom, he's not breathing. Make him breathe."

Tom gets down on his knees, beside his son, and runs his fingers over his face. He feels cold. "What curse did they use on him?" he asks as Isabel tries to resuscitate him again.

"I don't know." She says with a sob as she sits back on his knees. "I just came in here and one of the guys was standing over him and he wasn't breathing…He still has a pulse. Make him better." She says to him, like he would know how. "Make him breathe again." She says, almost angrily, looking him directly in the eyes. "You fix this. You make him better now."

"I don't know what's wrong with him." He says softly as he takes out his wand and starts doing every healing and reviving spell that he knows.

"Don't let him die." She says softly as she looks down at the little boy. "Tom, please don't let him die." She looks at him again with her brows furrowed. "This is your fault! If he dies I will never forgive you."

He looks at her with a clenched jaw and then tries a few more spells and counter curses. He checks the one year olds pulse again with two fingers against his neck and tries not to show the panic in his face. It's weak, dangerously weak. He sits back and rubs his face. "Okay, we have to get him to a medi-wizard." He says, trying to take action quickly. He stands and picks Castor up in his arms. The boy lies limp against his body and Tom tries not to be effected by it.

"Wait." Isabel says as she stands and walks closer to him. She starts to fiddle with the locket around her neck. "Take this off of me. You're the only one who can." She says breathlessly. "Take this off and put it on him."

Quickly he takes the necklace off of her neck and places it over his son's head. Nothing much changes but it gives both their troubled minds a sense of ease. "I'm going to St. Mungo's. I want you to go home and wait for me. Is that clear?" he says quickly as he gets ready to apparate.

Isabel nods her head and wipes away a few tears. Before he leaves she grabs his face and kisses him hard on the mouth, leaving blood all over the side of his face. He looks her in the eyes and then pulls back and pops away, running into St. Mungo's as fast as he possibly can.

He didn't miss that final look on her face, though. It meant come back with him or don't come back at all. He doesn't have time to ponder that as he storms to the front desk demanding that his son gets taken care of now by the best doctor in the whole place. Nervously they all scurry around trying to accommodate him and he has to sit out in the waiting room while Medi-wizards and witches try to revive his unconscious son. When one nurse comes up to him and nervously hands him a glass of water, taking in the scratches and blood on his face, his glares at her.

"I don't want to make anyone here nervous. I want everyone to do their proper jobs well." He says calmly, looking right into her frightened green eyes. "But I want all of you to know that if they don't figure out what is wrong with my son and if they don't save him tonight. I will probably burn this whole place down with every single one of you in it."

The nurse gulps and shakes her head before running out of the room.

X

As soon as she got home she handed the baby off to the house-elves and maids to be properly cleaned, clothed, and looked after. She walks into the front sitting room in a daze, vaguely concerned with the fact that they haven't even named him yet. He doesn't have a name…She shakes her head. She has bigger things to worry about now. She brings her hand up to nervously bite her fingers but she stops herself when she sees her hands completely covered with blood.

Suddenly feeling disgusted she runs to the bathroom and washes her hands in the sink. The water turns red as she runs her fingers under the tap and she scrubs with soap so hard that she thinks she might scrub off her skin. Holding back tears she flicks a glance up at the mirror. The side of her face is splattered with more blood. Blood. Blood. It's everywhere. She inhales deeply and tries not to shake and tries not to worry.

Quickly she strips out of her clothes and turns on the shower. She steps into the scolding hot water and just stands there, not moving, not blinking as the clean water washes her body. Finally, after a while of staring blankly at the tiled wall she takes a wash cloth and runs it over her skin. Her fingers work shampoo in her hair and once she's done she steps out onto the rug. She grabs a towel and wraps it around her body. Telling herself that Tom will be back soon, and that Castor will be back, and that they will make the people who were responsible for this pay.

She walks to her bedroom and quietly opens the door so she can get dressed in clean clothes. The moonlight dances in through the window and falls across the bed. Calpurnia sleeps soundly with her arm over Madelyn's back. They look so peaceful and comfortable. Like nothing is wrong. Isabel sniffs and wipes away more tears as she quietly gets dressed. She doesn't want to wake them, she doesn't want to talk to them, or explain to them what's happening. She doesn't want to have to worry about anything else.

Once she's dressed she walks with light steps to the red nursery, where a maid is rocking the new baby back and forth in a rocking chair. She goes over to them, without even saying a word and takes the baby from the maid's nervous arms.

"When your father comes home you'll have a name." she tells him as she cradles him against her chest. Wanting comfort from someone, anyone.

She walks back down stairs and sits heavily on the couch, back in the front room. She holds the little baby in her arms and stares into the fire. Trying not to go crazy. Two hours later the doors open and she runs to the main hallway, leaving the new born alone in the room in the little white bassinet.

"Tom, is he alright?" she asks as she runs up to her husband. The little boy isn't with him and she narrows her eyes dangerously. "Where is he? Where is he!?" she asks and almost starts to hit him.

He takes a deep breath before taking her hand. "He's still at St. Mungo's."

"Then why are you here?! You need to go back and stay with him!"

"Isabel." He says harshly, trying to get her attention. "Calm down." She stops yelling and looks at him. He touches her face. "He's fine. They were able to counteract the curse and he's breathing perfectly now." She lets out a relieved breath and smiles, hugging him closely. "They just need to keep him over night to make sure everything stays stabilized."

She pulls back and kisses him, feeling light and happy at the news he just gave her. "That's wonderful news." She says against his lips before getting closer to him and kissing him again. She pulls back with her arms around his neck. "We have to go back, though. He can't stay there by himself." She says seriously again.

Tom shakes his head. "You have to stay here. We have other children if you remember."

"Tom…"

He cuts her off again. "I'll go back. I just wanted to come home and tell you what was happening." She shakes her head and looks down. "And… isn't there someone I should meet?" he asks, tilting his head to catch her eyes.

"Oh," She looks up at him and smiles. "Yes, there is." She says, taking his hand and walking him towards the room with the bassinet. "I almost forgot." She says to herself as she opens the door and leads him over to the sleeping baby. "He needs a name." she says as Tom scorgifies himself so he can hold the baby. He takes off his black gloves and puts them in his pocket as he studies him.

Most of the blood is cleaned off as he reaches down and picks the clean little baby up, cradling him in his arms.. He looks down at the little baby and a warm smile spreads across his face but the more he allows himself to think about it the more upset he becomes.

"He shouldn't have been born in that filthy house." He says angrily as he runs his fingers over the baby's cheek. "No son of mine should have been born in such filth."

A cool hand on his neck makes him turn. Isabel is looking up at him with a sweet smile on her face. "He's here, though. He's alive." She says softly. "I gave birth to him all by myself. Like some tribal woman." She smiles again. "Aren't you proud of me?"

"Immensely." He admits as he leans down and kisses her forehead. He's also immensely proud that she managed to kill four people in that foul house as well. He sits down on one of the dark leather chairs and holds the baby out in front of him. He rakes his head from the bottom of his little feet all the way up to the soft blue hat on his head. "He does need a name."

Isabel nods her head and gets down on her knees beside his chair so she can see the baby's face. "I want to show you something." She says as she reaches out and removes the hat that the maids placed on his head. "Not all of them will take after you." She says with a smirk.

Tom smiles at the little wisps of red hair on the new borns head. "He's a carrot top."

Isabel laughs. "Oh, don't say that." She sits up and kisses the little boys cheek. "He's not that orange."

"Atticus." Tom says after a few moments of silence.

"What?"

"His name." he says looking at the baby. "His name will be Atticus."

"Why Atticus?" she asks, not sure if she likes it.

He smirks. "It's a family name."

She doesn't ask him to elaborate and she nods her head in acceptance. "Atticus Lennox Riddle." He looks at her but she doesn't move her eyes from the baby. "You said if we had another boy we could use my father's name. So we are." He rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything. "What happened to the people who did this?" she asks quietly, like it would hurt the baby's ears. "What did you do to them?"

"Nothing yet." He says and she frowns at him. He leans down and kisses her one last time. "When Castor comes home I'll make sure to make an example of them. It won't be pretty." He reassures her and even though she shouldn't, even though it's morbid, she smiles.

After a few more minutes of him getting to know his new son he leaves the house with a kiss to the top of his head. He goes back to St. Mungo's where he ignores the rules and stays in the room with his one year old son. He sits down in the chair with his arms crossed as he watches the little boy breathe in an out with a mad gleam in his eyes. Thinking of all the things he's going to do to Marcus and his gang of fools. Quite the example they will be…


End file.
